Art Institute of Chicago
Headcloth Fragment
ChancayLinkedCulture matchlcp-02d86ff18499
- Date
- 11th-15th century
- Medium
- Over-twist cotton, gauze weave; embroidered with cotton in simple looping stitch
- Culture
- Peru
- Department
- Textiles
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 80403
This extraordinary fragment from a headcloth, with its fineness of thread and complex construction, exemplifies Chancay gauze weaving. In Chancay culture, gauze weave relates to the tradition of coastal fishing, as the art form likely grew out of techniques associated with the making of fishing nets. This fragment displays two feline heads linked to the same body. Peru is home to a variety of wild cats, including the jaguar, puma, and pampas cat. These predatory felines were feared as well as worshipped, and they are associated with a wide range of Peruvian beliefs pertaining to ceremonial practices, the supernatural realm, astronomy, and the power of rulers.
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Chauncey B. Borland
- Provenance
- Mrs. Chauncey B. Borland (1881-1978; born Belle McCullough, also Belle Borland), Chicago, by 1954 [incoming receipt RX1208 May 17, 1954; copy in curatorial object file]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300014063
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