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Headcloth

A work made of cotton, plain gauze weave; embroidered in knotted couching.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of cotton, plain gauze weave; embroidered in knotted couching.

Date:

1000/1476

Artist:

Chancay
Central coast, Peru

About this artwork

With its delicacy of thread and complex construction, this extraordinary head cloth exemplifies Chancay gauze weaving, often considered the finest among all of the ancient Peruvian textile traditions. The repeated off-set rows of fish motifs—each outlined with softly spun cotton stitching—strongly evoke a school of fish caught within a fisherman’s net. Coastal cultures such as the Chancay embraced marine life in many forms, especially the bounty it provided as a source of food.

Status

On View, Gallery 136

Department

Textiles

Culture

Chancay

Title

Headcloth

Place

Peru (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1000–1476

Medium

Cotton, plain gauze weave; embroidered in knotted couching

Dimensions

99.1 × 99.1 cm (39 × 39 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Edward H. Merrin

Reference Number

1984.121

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/102176/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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