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Details / Information for Textile Fragment

Textile Fragment

c. 50–650 CE

Peru, Moche, north coast

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Medium
cotton and camelid fiber
Measurements
Overall: 39.4 x 27.9 cm (15 1/2 x 11 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2007.2.2
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This fragment is a rare survivor of floods that destroyed much of the Moche textile record.

Description

This fragment, one of several in the collection, is a rare survivor of catastrophic rains that destroyed much of the Moche textile legacy and may have helped to bring about the decline of Moche culture. It depicts a serpent and a snail beneath a hovering raptorial bird—perhaps a snail kite, a type of hawk named after its favored food. The size of the motifs implies that the original textile was large; a mantle (a shawl-like garment) or a hanging are among the possibilities.
A cotton and camelid fiber textile fragment takes a rectangular shape with frayed edges, featuring a muted palette of cream, reddish-brown, and dark brown. A large thick-limbed figure dominates the center beside a curving, snake-like form. Along the top, horizontal bands contain rows of small, four-legged animals. The composition has a prominent ribbed texture with various missing sections and loose threads throughout the weathered surface.

Textile Fragment

c. 50–650 CE

Peru, Moche, north coast

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