Textile ArtsJapanese18th century

Buddhist Priest's Robe (Kesa) with Scrolling Floral

late 18th century

Description

A Buddhist priest's robe known in Japan as a kesa (Sanskrit, kasaya), this rectangular garment is made up of mulitple pieces of the same cloth that together form a unified assemblage of rectangles and squares framed within a border. The fabric is a very dark blue silk with a design of densely packed flowers and vines brocaded in gold. Four square patches made of a contrasting salmon-colored silk decorated with gold designs of phoenixes flying amid clouds appear in the four corners, just inside the robe's rectangular border. Termed "shiten," these four corner patches are said to represent the Buddhist Guardians of the Four Directions (Shitennō).

Classification

Textile Arts

Medium

Dark blue silk with "kinran" gold brocade; selected elements made of orange silk with supplementary gold wefts

Culture

Japanese

Period

Edo period, 1615-1868

Century

18th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Asian Art

Dimensions

H. 113.7 x W. 230.2 cm (44 3/4 x 90 5/8 in.)

Provenance

[Yamanaka and Company, Kyoto, by 1926?], sold; to Louis V. Ledoux Collection, New York (1926?-1948), by descent; to his son L. Pierre Ledoux, New York (1948-2001), by inheritance; to his widow Joan F. Ledoux, New York, (2001-2013), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2013. Footnotes: 1. Louis V. Ledoux (1880-1948) 2. L. Pierre Ledoux (1912-2001) 3. On long term loan to Harvard Art Museums from 1985 to 2013.