Two Kosode Fragments
Not on view
Careful examination of the textile's undecorated portions reveals scattered slightly darker areas shaped like palm leaves that were protected from fading. It is possible that the areas were once covered with adhesive and metallic leaf, which have since washed off, leaving only ghostlike shadows. Metallic leaf was often featured in kosode of the early seventeenth century, and this fragment may serve as a reminder that the sparkle of gold and silver leaf did not suddenly disappear from kosode design in the mid-seventeenth century.