Japanese Fukuro Obi with Geometric Motif

Soft squares of blush, cream and taupe, arranged with a very modern shrug.

This fukuro obi with geometric motif is from Japan, and is ca. 1940. It is silk. Silk obi of the early twentieth century were commonly woven on jacquard looms, which allowed repeating motifs such as flowers, crests and geometric medallions to be set across the sash. At a glance, a folded textile built from rounded rectangles in blush pink, taupe, grey and cream, set in a loose checkerboard grid. Some blocks carry a wrinkled, crinkled texture while others glimmer smoothly. The folds lie neatly at the bottom edge. It is 12 inches wide and 162.5 long.

A quiet pastel grid that knows exactly what it is doing.