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Fragment (Loincloth)

A work made of cotton and wool (camelid), slit tapestry weave; edged with plain weave extended weft cut fringe.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of cotton and wool (camelid), slit tapestry weave; edged with plain weave extended weft cut fringe.

Date:

A.D. 1250/1470

Artist:

Chimú
Peru, Probably north coast

About this artwork

Following the decline of their ancestors, the Moche, the Chimú emerged as one of the most powerful cultures of South America, dominating several rich valleys across the north coast of Peru for more than five centuries, from around A.D. 900 to 1465. Chimú weavers created strikingly graphic designs through the repetition of simple, abstract forms in vivid color combinations—particularly red, white, and yellow—against a solid background. Most of these textiles depict an anthropomorphic male figure wearing a “toothed” crescent headdress and holding a set of staffs—details that suggest supernatural or exalted status. This stark representation of a frontal human figure wearing an arched crown recalls the Chimú-made gold and turquoise ceremonial knife (tumi). The slit-tapestry panel depicts a seated animal-like figure with a long tail, arms reaching forward, and a row of spikes down its back. This being wears a similar crescent headdress, indicating a connection with the human representations on the other works. The use of repeated abstract motifs arrayed in a grid-like pattern and the stepped shape of the loincloths resemble not only the gold repoussé breastplate, but also architectural details of certain Chimú buildings, reflecting the cohesive artistic style that was presented across different media.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Culture

Chimú

Title

Fragment (Loincloth)

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 1250–1470

Medium

Cotton and wool (camelid), slit tapestry weave; edged with plain weave extended weft cut fringe

Dimensions

46 × 38.7 cm (18 1/8 × 15 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Kate S. Buckingham Endowment

Reference Number

1955.1751

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.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/85447/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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