Indigo Shibori Noren Curtain – Three-Tone Blue Cotton, Tie-Dyed Morning Glories, 85 × 150 cm - Cotton - Japan - Shōwa period (1926-1989)

Indigo Shibori Noren Curtain in Three Shades of Blue with Tie-Dyed Morning Glory Motifs, 85 × 150 cm
– Made using traditional Japanese shibori techniques, as a split noren of two long panels joined at the top
– Shibori resist dyeing on 100% cotton, with flowers, buds and leaves reserved in white against graded indigo bands
– 85 cm wide and 150 cm long – a generous size for a doorway, a passage, an alcove or a wall hanging

Summary: A cotton noren, the split fabric curtain that hangs in Japanese doorways, dyed in three distinct shades of indigo from soft sky blue at the top to a deep navy at the hem. Across the panels runs a scattered design of blossoms, buds and broad leaves that appears to depict morning glories, worked in shibori, the Japanese art of binding and stitching cloth before dyeing. Each flower carries the slightly irregular, radiating edge that only resist dyeing produces. The noren is in near-unused condition. It offers an easy way to bring the calm character of indigo into a European home.

There is something instantly soothing about indigo. The colour seems to deepen as you look at it, and on this curtain it moves in three steady steps from pale blue to midnight, like water growing deeper towards the shore.

This is a noren, a curtain divided into two panels and hung from a rod across a doorway or opening. In Japan, noren mark the threshold between rooms, screen a kitchen from a living space, or hang at the entrance of a shop or restaurant. They let air and light pass while offering a gentle sense of privacy.

The decoration is created using shibori, a traditional Japanese resist-dyeing technique. Before dyeing, small areas of the cotton are tightly bound, folded or stitched so that the dye cannot reach them. When the bindings are released, the pattern appears in white, with soft, feathered edges and fine radiating lines. No two flowers are quite alike, and that small irregularity is a large part of the charm.

The design gathers in three clusters: one on the pale upper band of the right panel, one on the middle band of the left panel, and a fuller spray at the lower right hem, where larger open blooms sit among smaller round buds and a broad, pointed leaf with curling tendrils. The arrangement climbs diagonally across the curtain, so the eye travels naturally from the hem to the top. The cotton is soft and matt, with a pleasant, slightly textured hand.

At 150 cm long, the noren suits a standard doorway, a corridor, a walk-in wardrobe or the entrance to a kitchen. It also works beautifully as a textile hanging on a plain white wall, where the three bands of blue read almost like a modern abstract composition. It sits naturally beside pale wood, linen, stoneware and simple Scandinavian or Japandi furniture.

The noren is in near-unused condition, with no significant marks or damage noted; light creases from folding are present. As with all indigo textiles, some colour may transfer when new or damp, so gentle hand-washing in cold water, separately, is advised.

A quietly beautiful piece of indigo cloth – practical, decorative and ready to soften a doorway or a wall.

This listing contains AI Visualisations. Please refer to the original photographs for the actual object condition.

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