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Details / Information for Tunic

Tunic

1100–1532

Peru, Chimú or Chimú-Inka, 12th-16th century

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Medium
white cotton; plain weave with supplementary weft brocading
Measurements
Overall: 57.2 x 151.1 cm (22 1/2 x 59 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2011.111.1
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The Chimú forged an empire that thrived until the 1460s, when the Inka incorporated it into their own imperial domain.

Description

This garment embodies an important principle of the Chimú textile aesthetic: a love of combining different textures, some dense and sculptural and others so open and airy they are nearly invisible. (The hand-spun yarns are only .1 to .2 millimeters in diameter.) It also elegantly articulates the simplified, spare visual vocabulary that the Chimú favored, here geometric motifs.
A creamy white cotton tunic laid out in a T-shape features repeating geometric motifs across horizontal rows. These stepped, curled designs are woven into a sheer, gauzy background. The patterns cover the rectangular central torso and short, wide sleeves. A fine fringe lines the bottom edge and sleeve cuffs. The monochrome textile emphasizes textural contrast between the densely woven motifs and the thin, translucent base fabric.

Tunic

1100–1532

Peru, Chimú or Chimú-Inka, 12th-16th century

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