Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Textile Fragment with Floral Clusters and Sprays of Wisteria
Not on view
The simple yet delicate pattern of white scattered floral clusters and sprays of wisteria against a monochrome deep purple ground was created using stitch-resist dyeing (tsujigahana). The gradation of the floral pattern offers an additional contrast to the textile’s interplay between light and dark. The floral motif and use of hemp threads to bind the designs are typical features of tsujigahana textiles. The slightly uneven texture of pongee (tsumugi, a thin, soft fabric woven from raw silk) and the use of hand-spun silk for the plain-weave ground are more unusual characteristics. Such an intricately textured fabric would have been ideally suited for garments worn by women in the second half of the sixteenth century on special occasions, such as the viewing of brilliant autumn foliage.
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