Kesa (Buddhist Priest’s Robe)
1800-1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This textile is a ‘kesa’, the rectangular garment worn by Japanese Buddhist priests. Kesa are made of a sewn patchwork of cloth, the arrangement of the sections of fabric into columns surrounded by a border serving as a mandala, a symbolic rendering of the universe. The act of sewing the garment is in itself a devotional pursuit. This detail of the kesa shows how the sections of fabric have been almost perfectly aligned so as not to disrupt the elegant design of grapevines.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Polychrome figured gauze silk, lined with figured satin silk |
| Brief description | Kesa (Buddhist priest’s robe), polychrome figured gauze silk, lined with figured satin silk, probably woven in Kyoto, Japan, 1800-1880 |
| Physical description | Buddhist priest's mantle (kesa) of gauze silk with design of grape vines, lined with satin silk with peonies and scrolling leaves. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by T.B. Clarke-Thornhill |
| Object history | Registered File number 1973/946. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This textile is a ‘kesa’, the rectangular garment worn by Japanese Buddhist priests. Kesa are made of a sewn patchwork of cloth, the arrangement of the sections of fabric into columns surrounded by a border serving as a mandala, a symbolic rendering of the universe. The act of sewing the garment is in itself a devotional pursuit. This detail of the kesa shows how the sections of fabric have been almost perfectly aligned so as not to disrupt the elegant design of grapevines. |
| Bibliographic reference | Jackson, Anna. Japanese textiles. London: V&A Publications, 2000, Plates 7, 34, pp. 18, 21. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.86-1927 |
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| Record created | February 20, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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