Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Paracas, ca. 500 to 300 BCE. An impressive textile tightly woven from natural camelid fibers to present an elongated rectangular form intended to be worn as a turban, wrapping around the head with a long train falling to the back, all in vibrant hues of tangerine, scarlet, and black. The primary body of the garment features a mesmerizing, linear design of diagonal, zigzag striations, while the border is more varied with alternating rectangles, each filled with abstract, scroll motifs. Each short end is additionally adorned with 3 horizontal registers of repeated rectangles. Size (textile): 68.5" L x 8" W (174 cm x 20.3 cm); (modern fabric mounting): 78.2" L x 22.5" W (198.6 cm x 57.2 cm)

According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Researchers of Andean textiles have observed that the designs and symmetries of the fabrics often reference the structures of fiber, weaving, and other elements of fabric-making. For example, embroidered patterns on some textiles resemble large twisted strands of yarn (such as MMA 33.149.15 and the end borders of MMA 1978.412.55). Such design choices were likely meaningful for ancient Andean societies because they speak to the cultural value of cloth itself, a common yet precious material. Weaving and cloth were pervasive in both everyday life and ceremonial practice for these cultures. Scholars argue that fabric was in fact the chief medium of expression, having critical social and religious functions that communicated ideas, such as aspects of identity and relations with the divine. Such meanings would have been important in a burial context."

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, acquired from the 1950s to 1960s

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#172810

Fragment of a larger piece. Some areas of pulling, fraying, and minor losses. Otherwise, excellent with impressive remaining pigments. Sewn to modern cloth for display.