Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Tassel

A work made of wool (camelid), oblique interlinked and interlaced warp (sprang); cross-knit looping over folded unworked warps; sides joined with wool (camelid) in overcast stitch.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of wool (camelid), oblique interlinked and interlaced warp (sprang); cross-knit looping over folded unworked warps; sides joined with wool (camelid) in overcast stitch.

Date:

500/900

Artist:

Nazca
South coast, Peru

About this artwork

Woven tassels were worn in pairs, attached to a long cord that wrapped around a person’s head, with one tassel falling to each side. Several dozen of these large and elaborately patterned tassels are known, all with the same shape and structure. The tassels were made via a complex technique that produced multiple interconnected layers and mirror-image symmetry. The complexity of Nazca textiles like these far exceeds functional or representational requirements, suggesting that there is symbolic meaning embedded in the structure itself.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Culture

Nasca

Title

Tassel

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 500 CE–900 CE

Medium

Wool (camelid), oblique interlinked and interlaced warp (sprang); cross-knit looping over folded unworked warps; sides joined with wool (camelid) in overcast stitch

Dimensions

36.8 × 24.1 cm (14 1/2 × 9 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Kate S. Buckingham Endowment

Reference Number

1955.1793a

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/85541/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.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms