A Deep Blue on Deep Blue Resist Dyed Boro Textile: Shippo Tsunagi

ca. late nineteenth, early twentieth century
35" x 13", 89 cm x 33 cm

This beautiful, short length of hand woven, indigo dyed cotton is dyed in the stencil resist method called katazome.

It is interesting--and beautiful--on several levels: its deep, rich, sapphire color to start.  This color is the result of the cotton being dyed in indigo.  Then, this blue cloth was resist dyed using stencils, so the base cloth turned dark and the resisted areas stayed a rich, medium blue, giving the overall impression of a cool, midnight, glowing blue.

The pattern is lovely.  It is a fairly large scale shippo tsunagi, or interlocking circles motif.  In between the circles we see a stylized, linear chrysanthemum.

This cloth is composed of two separate pieces which are hand sewn together.  There is one mending patch--and the hand loomed cotton is of good weight and quality.

A lovely, rich and beautiful boro textile.