Art Institute of Chicago

Fragment Displaying Stepped-Fret Motif

Nasca

Date

About 200-500

Medium

Wool (camelid) and cotton, plain weave of discontinuous single interlocking warps and wefts

Culture

Peru

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This fragment, constructed with single interlocking warps and wefts, is composed of a pattern of over 20 step-frets rendered in 14 different colors. Nazca weavers are known for the wide range of colors employed in the production of their textiles. They achieved the various colors through dyeing and naturally colored yarns and by plying two different yarns together in order to produce additional colors. The irregularity of the pattern of the step frets displayed on this fragment may not reflect the original configuration of the design, as it may have been altered at a later date.

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