Nuno Corporation
Skyscraper Scarf
1996
Scroll
Nuno Corporation
Skyscraper Scarf
1996
Physical Qualities
Cotton, 81 1/2 × 16 in. (207 × 40.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Jay McKean Fisher, Baltimore, in Memory of Dena S. Katzenberg, Consultant Curator of Textiles, 1969-2000
Object Number
2001.464
This scarf is woven in a variation of plain weave, using black and white double warps wefts of cotton varied in tension and twist (i.e. spin), resulting in a scarf of great elasticity and texture. The overspun wefts pull the warps together creating fine vertical crimps. The weave results in very fine wavy black and white horizontal lines on the front and a mottled pattern on the reverse; this gives an overall grey appearance to the fabric. The wefts are voided at even intervals along the scarf (i.e. not woven across the entire width, but within defined areas) creating pairs of 2' x 5' rectangles, spaced 5' apart vertically that are devoid of wefts. There are 10 sets in all of these "windows" in the scarf. Within these areas, the warps are pulled from the front to back face of the scarf, thus giving a softly irregular or "fuzzy" transition from one color to another similar to the appearance of "kasuri" or ikat traditionally created by binding warps in a pattern and dying them prior to weaving. The scarf is finished at both ends with 2-1/2' fringe of black and white warps that twist into sections or clumps. (Fringe is included in the dimension).
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift 2001; Jay Fisher by purchase in Tokyo, Japan.
Anita Jones, NUNO: Japanese Tradition/Innovation in Cloth, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Jean and Allan Berman Textile Gallery, March 28 - October 14, 2007 (extended from October 7th), not mentioned in brochure, no catalog.
Inscribed: A black fabric tag sewn to the reverse of the scarf reads, '[Japanese characters]/produced by NUNO co., ltd../MADE IN JAPAN'