robe

waterfieldrobe – Water field robe is the name for a Buddhist priests’ vestment that was composed of many squares of different colored silk. The garment received its name because this patchwork design resembled a landscape of rice paddies. The design originated in the attempt to avoid the impression of ostentatious living. Donors who presented precious robes to monks ordered them to be made from high quality fabric. But in accordance with their rules Buddhist monks were supposed to live humbly and wear modest attire which they should collect from donations. They were expected to clean the worn clothes, mend them, and sow together the patches. Therefore donors who wanted to honor a monk and could afford to bestow him with a precious robe had it tailored from silk patches. The result merely resembled what the regulations had intended but it became an accepted way of support for clerics. By the Ming, water field robes had become a fashion among well-to-do men and women, just like the gentleman shown here scrutinizing antiques for his studio.