Cleveland Museum of Art

Fish-Shaped Applique

Date

1400–1532

Medium

cotton and camelid fiber, tapestry weave with areas of eccentric weft floats

Culture

Central Andes, Central Coast, Ychsma (Pachacamac) people

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This fish-shaped textile was originally stitched with others like it to a mantle, a shawl-like garment that was a staple of Andean clothing. Its partial “X-ray view,” which emphasizes the bony spine, is unique to the style of the Ychsma ( yeach -mah ), who lived on Peru’s central coast. In addition to referencing sources of food, marine subjects may also carry religious associations, as some coastal peoples of the period regarded the sea as a deity.

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