A Length of Katazome Cotton: Bats and Swallows

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
32 3/4" x 13 1/4", 83 cm x 33.5 cm

What an interesting length of indigo dyed katazome cotton. It shows a fairly dense repeat pattern of a coveted subject in Japanese folk textiles, that of the bat, a cherished symbol that conveys a wish for good luck.

Here we see a bat stylized in three different ways and rendered in different sizes.

The flurry of flying and darting bats crowds the surface of the textile and this design is interspersed with images of swallows flying through two seemingly interlocking rings.

Arcs of dotted lines suggesting autumn grasses are a connecting element in this complex design.

The length is in good, used condition and it is lightly starched.

This is a beautifully made length of old katazome and certainly one that is recommended.