A Length of Katazome Dyed Cotton: Chrysanthemum and Arabesque

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
54" x 13", 137 cm x 33 cm

This is a length of indigo dyed katazome cotton that shows a pattern whose component motifs are seen often in this medium: arabesque and stylized chrysanthemum. The cotton is hand spun and hand woven.

On this piece, however, the pattern is intricate and, as such, the design "sparkles" in a way that most other cloth with similar patterns do not: this is due to the dotted background, the elegantly sinuous arabesques and the strongly drawn chrysanthemums. 

If you look carefully you are able to see the size of the stencil used to make this pattern as there are subtle, horizontal bars that indicate this.

As well, in the center of the pieces there is a faint, slightly large stain which really does not detract from the overall visual enjoyment of this piece.

It is a beauty and one that stands apart from others of its kind due to the delicacy of the pattern and the good contrast between dark and light.