The garments draped over the racks in the golden scene depicted on this screen raise questions about the woman who left them there. The late seventeenth century kosodes are energetic in their designs of fans and wheels and riotous in color. It’s the beginning of a story, of a search for answers. Unlike so many drawings depicting festivals, dancing, parties, and processions there is no activity in these panels. The viewer waits for the wearer to emerge and claim those things she’s left behind.
29.100.493, .494 Metropolitan Museum of Art.
29.100.493, .494 Metropolitan Museum of Art.