Art Institute of Chicago

Half of a Tabard

Peru, Possibly south coast

Date

1250-1450

Medium

Cotton, plain weave; embellished with feathers (likely from Chilean flamigos, macaws, and Muscovy ducks) knotted and attached with cotton in overcast stitches

Culture

Peru

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Featherworks are challenging for scholars to interpret because they are rare and so materially different from more common woven textiles made by the same cultures. Motifs have various colors because of the vibrant plumages of the birds and have altered forms because of how the artists sewed the strands of feathers to the ground cloths. This tabard is distinct from more common tunics because it was not originally sewn up the sides. A very similar garment in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has been scientifically dated to 1298–1397.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.