A Panel from a Katazome Dyed Futon Cover: Resist Dyed Peonies and Boro Cotton

ca. late nineteenth century
65 1/2" x 12 1/2", 166.5 cm x 31.5 cm

Just wonderful.  This length of indigo dyed cotton boro is sewn from a hand woven base cloth that shows katazome, or stencil resist dyed peonies, luxuriously rendered with heavy petals.  This base cloth was created during the Meiji Era, in the late nineteenth century.

There are some surprising visual treats on this cloth: note the large, central patch of narrowly striped cotton and the good-sized, stitched circle in its center.

Also lovely is the pile-up of same pattern-on-same pattern where the base cloth is taken and used to patch itself, creating a bit of visual jar.

Certainly this cloth was made in the 19th century, yet, like with many boro textiles which have been used and mended over a span of generations, there is evidence of some early-to-mid twentieth century patching on this cloth, most notably at the proper top of this length.

A really gorgeous boro textile with good age and visual appeal.