Sarasa with Gilded Floral Pattern

Sarasa with Gilded Floral Pattern

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Indian painted and dyed cotton textiles, called sarasa in Japan, were treasured by their Japanese owners. This example relates to contemporary Indian embroideries, which were in turn partly inspired by earlier English embroideries such as the coif (cat. no. 12). The design features a scrolling vine-and-floral pattern (see also cat. no. 11) that has been embellished with delicately applied gold leaf. In the late Edo period (1615–1868), fragments of such cloths were routinely mounted in sample books known as meibutsugire (“famed fabrics”). Others were tailored into precious wrappers for tea-ceremony containers, display mats, tobacco pouches, and scroll-box covers. cat. no. 13

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sarasa with Gilded Floral PatternSarasa with Gilded Floral PatternSarasa with Gilded Floral PatternSarasa with Gilded Floral PatternSarasa with Gilded Floral Pattern

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.