Artwork Page for Textile Fragment with Cotton Goddess

Details / Information for Textile Fragment with Cotton Goddess

Textile Fragment with Cotton Goddess

800–500 BCE

Andes, south coast, Ica Valley?, Chavín style

Medium
Cotton, pigments
Measurements
Overall: 34.3 x 36.2 cm (13 1/2 x 14 1/4 in.); Mounted: 39.1 x 41.3 cm (15 3/8 x 16 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2017.56
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

The fragment comes from a larger textile, perhaps a ceremonial hanging.

Description

The figure painted on this fragment represents a female deity with a large, fanged mouth. Further fanged heads occur on the chest, legs, feet, waist, and staffs of authority she holds. Edging both the staffs and the top of the head are white cotton bolls that have caused the deity to be dubbed the Cotton Goddess and associated with nature’s fertility.
A roughly square cotton textile fragment features an intricate, painted pattern of dark brown pigment on a tan ground. A central humanoid figure with large, blocky features and wide-set eyes is surrounded by smaller stylized faces and repeating circular motifs. Thick, geometric lines interlock across the surface, creating a dense, labyrinthine composition. The fragment's left edge is jagged and torn, with darkened patches and frayed threads highlighting the ancient, weathered texture of the cloth.

Textile Fragment with Cotton Goddess

800–500 BCE

Andes, south coast, Ica Valley?, Chavín style

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