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Unknown Maker, Chinese

Buddhist priest's robe (kesa)

Maker

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Culture

Chinese

Title

Buddhist priest's robe (kesa)

Year

1700s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

silk, metallic yarn

Geography

Place Made: China

Dimensions

Length: 105.4 cm (41 1/2 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich

Object Number

35.273

Type

Exhibition History

Woven with Silk
Rockefeller Asian Textiles
Jun 10, 2014 – Mar 08, 2015

Label copy

The bold pictorial design of this Buddhist monk’s mantle was created using the slit-tapestry technique known as kesi or k’o-ssu, a term roughly translated as “carved silk.” Weavers in China have used this technique, thought to have migrated from Central Asia, for centuries, as it allows the weaver to “paint” with thread through the painstaking hand manipulation of extremely fine silk weft yarns.

The individual squares contain renderings of Buddhist motifs such as the lotus and flaming jewel, imperial Chinese symbols that include the phoenix and the five-clawed dragon, and antique vessels symbolizing Confucian values of connoisseurship and respect for the past. The lanterns may indicate that this robe was made for the Buddhist Lantern Festival, held the last day of lunar New Year celebrations.

Expressions of Faith
Religious Textiles in Asia
Oct 17, 2003 – Feb 08, 2004

Label copy

This Buddhist priest’s robe is of the same layout as the Japanese example on view (acc. no. 46.103) and stems from the same tradition; however, the Chinese versions often have triangular sections added, which make the cloth drape more gracefully over the monk’s arm. Here, these sections have been removed, as indicated by the seam and break in the border pattern on the right side.

The use of lanterns in some of the squares may indicate that this robe was used in the annual Lantern Festival, held on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar.

Of Peonies and Dragon's Toes
Chinese Costume from the Xing Dynasty
Jun 24, 1998 – Sep 13, 1998
Ch'ing Dynasty Men's Wear
Court and Religious Attire After the Manchu Conquest
May 08, 1987 – Aug 15, 1987

Label copy

The squares show Buddhist and general Chinese motifs: fu dog, dragon, elephant phoenix and fish, with a peony border.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Chinese
Buddhist priest's robe (kesa), 1700s
Silk; tapestry weave
Length: 105.4 cm (41 1/2 inches)
Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich 35.273

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