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Warrior Fragments

A work made of cotton, simple looping ground; wool (camelid) cross-knit looping and cross-knit loop stitch embroidery.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of cotton, simple looping ground; wool (camelid) cross-knit looping and cross-knit loop stitch embroidery.

Date:

100 B.C./A.D. 200

Artist:

Nazca
South coast, Peru

About this artwork

Although small in scale, these figures—likely fragments from a border attached to the edge of a solid-colored plain woven textile—potently convey the Nazca worldview. All but one appears as a warrior in elaborate costume. The unadorned figure wears only a loincloth and has an inverted head and partially exposed ribcage, details that indicate that he is a captive intended for sacrifice. The Nazca offered blood, the most sacred substance of life, to honor the supernatural forces governing the natural world, thus insuring good weather and a good harvest.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Culture

Nasca

Title

Warrior Fragments

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 100 BCE–200 CE

Medium

Cotton, simple looping ground; wool (camelid) cross-knit looping and cross-knit loop stitch embroidery

Dimensions

a: 6.4 × 5.7 cm (2 1/2 × 2 1/4 in.) b: 6.4 × 5.7 cm (2 1/2 × 2 1/4 in.) c: 6.4 × 8.9 cm (2 1/2 × 3 1/2 in.) d: 6.7 × 8.3 cm (2 5/8 × 3 1/4 in.) e: 6.4 × 13 cm (2 1/2 × 5 1/8 in.) f: 6.4 × 13 cm (2 1/2 × 5 1/8 in.) g: 6.4 × 4.5 cm (2 1/2 × 1 3/4 in.) h: 6.4 × 4.1 cm (2 1/4 × 1 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Chauncey B. Borland

Reference Number

1956.1267.3a-h

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/148858/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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