Art Institute of Chicago

Panel

NascaLinkedCulture matchlcp-2aaef692bdd5

Date: Possibly 500 CE-600 CE
Medium: Cotton and wool (camelid), slit tapestry weave with outlining wefts
Culture: Peru
Department: Textiles
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 85375

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

This panel includes figures that combine human and animal features, a theme frequently explored in art from throughout the ancient Andean region. The design consists of two groupings of abstract anthropomorphic beings (possibly deities) wearing ornate whiskered feline masks, headdresses, and ear ornaments. Appendages and heads radiate from the figures in all directions, which produces a design that can be read from various viewpoints. The multiple heads suggest otherworldly powers and may represent the heads of defeated, decapitated warriors, taken as trophies.

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Provenance & credit

As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.

Credit line: Kate S. Buckingham Endowment
Provenance: Eduard Gaffron (1861–1931), Lima, Peru, from 1892 to 1912, then Berlin, from 1912 [History of the Department report (Joanne Behrens, 1985) and correspondence in curatorial file]; by descent to his children Mercedes Gaffron, Berlin then Durham, SC, and Hans Gaffron (1902–1979), Berlin then Chicago [correspondence and documentation of the Gaffron Collection in curatorial file]; sold to the Art Institute, 1955.