Noh Costume (Atsuita) with Clouds and Hexagons

Noh Costume (Atsuita) with Clouds and Hexagons

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Characteristic of the type of Noh robe known as atsuita, used for male roles, is this plain-weave robe with a bold supplementary weft pattern of scattered clouds over clusters of hexagons enclosing a stylized blossom. A conventional tortoise-shell pattern of interlocking hexagons, expressing auspicious connotations of long life, is combined here with clouds, a motif associated with supernatural power.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Noh Costume (Atsuita) with Clouds and HexagonsNoh Costume (Atsuita) with Clouds and HexagonsNoh Costume (Atsuita) with Clouds and HexagonsNoh Costume (Atsuita) with Clouds and HexagonsNoh Costume (Atsuita) with Clouds and Hexagons

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.