Terms and Conditions
The artist, title and date of the work must be listed anywhere the image is reproduced:
Japanese
Rag kimono (Boro kimono ボロ着物) Meiji period 1868-1912
cotton
140.7 cm (centre back) 129.5 cm (cuff to cuff)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014
Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Where possible, the image must be reproduced in full (no cropping or over-printing). If you wish to use a detail of the work, a full reproduction of the work must also be reproduced elsewhere in the publication.
While the NGV believes this work to be in the Public Domain, it is the responsibility of the publisher to ensure that no further permissions are required for use.
For a complete list of terms and condition of use see the National Gallery of Victoria’s copyright policy.
About this work
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, boro kimono were made from recycled cotton scraps by impoverished Japanese people out of necessity. This example has been made from more than one hundred pieces and consists of resist-dyed, tie-dyed, ikat-dyed and check-woven fabric. Boro textiles are the creations of unknown craftspeople who never intended for them to be viewed as things of beauty. However, in a contemporary context they have a collage-like quality, their spontaneous designs imbued with a life and spirituality of their own.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Japan
Accession Number
2014.23
Department
Asian Art
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Gordon Darling Foundation
Physical description
Boro kimono were made from recycled cotton scraps in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century by impoverished Japanese people out of necessity. This example has been made from more than 100 pieces and consists of resist-dyed, tie-dyed, ikat-dyed and check woven fabric. In the true spirit of mingei, boro textiles are the creations of unknown craftspeople who never intended them to be viewed as a thing of beauty. However, in a contemporary context they have qualities of random collage and spontaneous design imbued with a life and spirituality of their own.