Robe

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The decoration of attush robes and those made from cotton, like this example, feature embroidery alone or both applique and embroidery. Most of the textiles applied to this robe are white, but both bright red and printed cotton were also used. The curvilinear embroidery, a comparatively fine tracery, contrasts with the wide applied bands. Ainu girls learned embroidery designs when they were very young--perhaps by drawing the patterns in the sand, as seen in a 1799 Japanese book illustration by Murakami Shimanojo in the Hakodate Municipal Library.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art