The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 21, 2026

A muted brown hemp fragment with an irregular vertical shape features a coarse weave of thick, twisted yarns. Significant chunks are missing, specifically a deep indentation cutting into the left side. The worn material is frayed along the jagged edges where loose fibers extend. The rough, fibrous threads are evident throughout, creating a ragged silhouette against the beige surface it is spread flat on.

Fragment

700s

China or Japan

plain cloth weave; hemp (?)
Overall: 7.3 x 7.7 cm (2 7/8 x 3 1/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1954.70.cc
Location: Not on view
  • said to have come from the Shōsōin and Hōryūji, Nara, Japan
    ?–1954
    (Howard Hollis and Co., Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1954–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Shepherd, Dorothy G. "An Album of Textiles from the Shōsōin and Hōryūji." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 42, no. 6 (1955): 124–127. Mentioned: pp. 124–127; Reproduced: pp. 126–127 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Fragment|url=false|author=|year=700s|access-date=21 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1954.70.cc