A Length of Indigo Dyed Katazome Cotton: Clematis

early twentieth century
34" x 13 1/4", 86.5 cm x 33.5 cm

This is a deeply toned, indigo dyed cotton length of katazome cloth that shows what appears to be a fairly often seen pattern, that of flowers against a field of karakusa or arabesque.

However this flower is interesting because it is rarely seen on katazome patterns, it is a clematis. 

The cloth is still sturdy and hardly faded: the colors are still strong, almost as they were when it was originally dyed a hundred years ago. 

There is a good amount of rust-colored patterning on this length and the tone of it is still quite vibrant. This is the result of the application of an iron oxide derived pigment dye called bengara and bengara was often used on katazome cloth in combination with indigo.

A good piece of cloth for its lovely design which is made even better by its good condition and rare image.

Recommended.