Framed Large Pre-Columbian Textile with Tie Dye Design Wari Culture

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A large Pre-Columbian textile fragment with geometrical tie dye motifs from Wari culture (circa 450 to 1000 AD), a Middle … Read more A large Pre-Columbian textile fragment with geometrical tie dye motifs from Wari culture (circa 450 to 1000 AD), a Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in the south-central Andes and coastal area of modern-day Peru. Woven from a fine wool from camelids, the panel was sewn from three vertical pieces and likely part of a larger piece likely a tunic. On the bright red background, thin triple-line horizontal bands cross the piece in regular spacing. Tie dye technique was used to add diamond shaped motifs across the surface. This shape was common in the tie dye Wari textile and was possibly carries a cosmic symbolism. Large tunic or mantle tended to be pieced together to form a more complex visual impact and were highly valued and associated with high-ranking officials.
The panel was nicely presented in a color-matched mat and dark wood frame.
Provenance: From an American collection collected in Peru in 1970s. Hence by descent.
Reference: for a very similar example, see item RT-14922 in Museo Nacional de Arqueologia, Lima. Illustrated in figure 142 on page 123 in "Peru Art from the Chavin to the Incas".
Another larger assembled piece is in Paul Hughes Collection, exhibited in "Ancient Textiles from the Andes" at The Whitworth Museum 29 March-15 September 2019. See less