Kesa
18th-19th century
Originating in South Asia, kesa, known as kasaya in Sanskrit, were initially made of tattered cloth fragments to replicate the simple patched garment of the historical Buddha. In ancient times, wandering ascetics picked up dirtied scraps of cloth from the ground, washed them and stitched them into rectangular-shaped garments.
The finished cloak, traditionally made of forty-eight small pieces, was said to symbolize a mandala, a visual representation of the whole universe made of innumerable discrete parts. An extravagant kesa like this copper-orange example was likely donated to a temple by a wealthy devotee hoping to accrue merit.
Silk cloth and gilded paper
40 3/4 in. (103.5 cm)
L.: 73 in
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection
34.161
Photo: Beth Mann
