Artwork Page for Half of a Sleeved Tunic

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Half of a Sleeved Tunic

c. 500–1000

Central Andes, Middle Horizon, Wari, 6th-11th century

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Medium
single-interlocked tapestry; cotton warp; camelid fiber weft
Measurements
Overall: 88.6 x 101.9 cm (34 7/8 x 40 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2005.53.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

The bird-headed creature in profile that repeats in each of this tunic's design fields gazes upward, holds a staff of authority in front of its body, and wears an ornate headdress behind which a three-feathered wing can be seen. The extremely high technical quality of such tunics suggests that the Wari reserved bird imagery for their most exalted rulers. Here, the original incorporated more than twice as much yarn as the routine--some 19 miles, all handmade and much dyed an inky, dark blue, the most prestigious of Wari colors.
A vertically oriented camelid fiber and cotton textile fragment features three wide vertical bands of repeating geometric figures on a dark blue background. These multicolored figures, rendered in muted red, yellow, and green, repeat vertically within each band. Squared forms and small circular motifs organize into stacked cells to create abstract shapes. A partial fourth band lines the right edge, while the top and left edges appear frayed and irregular.

Half of a Sleeved Tunic

c. 500–1000

Central Andes, Middle Horizon, Wari, 6th-11th century

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