Art Institute of Chicago

Woman's Aigi (Inner Robe)

Japan

Date

Edo period (1789–1868), late 1700s

Medium

Silk, satin damask weave; tye dyed; lining: silk, plain weave

Culture

Japan

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This white design on a red background was created by tying portions of the white silk fabric into tiny knots that resisted the red dye. Here, the tying creates a pattern of tea plant blossoms floating on stylized currents of water. Producing such an intricate pattern was labor intensive and costly. The use of the color red for inner robes and linings has a long history in Japan, where the flash of a woman’s undergarment or lining is considered enticing.

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