Artwork Page for Tunic Fragments with Bird-Headed Creature

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Tunic Fragments with Bird-Headed Creature

600–1000

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

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Medium
Camelid fiber, cotton; tapestry weave
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
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.
Two camelid fiber and cotton fragments feature alternating dark navy bands and narrow strips of repeating, stylized birdlike creatures. These figures are rendered in muted red, yellow, green, and cream, framed by thin red borders. The vertical fragments exhibit frayed, irregular edges and scattered areas of wear throughout the composition.

Tunic Fragments with Bird-Headed Creature

600–1000

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

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