Piece
Unknown Artist
18th–19th century
Medium
Silk
Dimensions
1 3/4 x 1 3/4 in. (4.45 x 4.45 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1896
Accession Number
96.14.1269
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silk textile fragment, simply titled *Piece*, hails from Japan during the 18th19th centuries, a golden era for the country's renowned weaving traditions. Measuring just 1¾ x 1¾ inches (4.45 x 4.45 cm), this diminutive woven square exemplifies the precision and finesse of Japanese artisans, who mastered silk production on a grand scale. Likely a sample or remnant from a larger garment or decorative cloth, it reflects the Edo (1603–1868) and early Meiji (1868–1912) periods, when silk weaving flourished in regions like Kyoto's Nishijin district, producing luxurious fabrics for kimo...