Aldrich Textile Gallery (rotation, Kesa)
February 23 - July 29, 2018
Introduction
The kesa is the main outer garment traditionally worn by Japanese Buddhist monks, nuns, and priests. Frequently draped over the left shoulder, kesa are usually constructed as a rectangular patchwork, with a central field made up of five, seven, or nine or more vertical strips of fabric sewn together. The robe's formality increases with the number of these columns.
In the 1910s and 1920s, Lucy Truman Aldrich assembled one of the most important collections of kesa in the United States, and later gave these items to the RISD Museum.
Laurie Brewer
Exhibition images
