A Length of Katazome Dyed Cotton: Realistic Woodgrain

early twentieth century
54" x 13 1/2", 137 cm x 34 cm

This length of katazome dyed cotton is very unusual for its pattern of realistically drawn woodgrain. Such a faithful rendition of something found in nature is rare in Japan as Japanese artists and artisans are known to create abstracted or stylized versions of anything found in the natural world.

The clarity of the image is not consistent on this length. There is some light fading, some areas of low contrast, some areas that are blurred. But still this is a very attractive length for its rarity and for its ingenuity of expression.

A torn notch can be seen on the cloth and this is detailed on an image that accompanies this post.

The grey tone is also slightly unusual for katazome dyeing and it could be the result of using sumi or ink as the dyestuff.

Highly unusual and recommended.