Artwork Page for Head Cloth

Details / Information for Head Cloth

Head Cloth

1000–1460s

Central Andes, central coast, Chancay people

Medium
Cotton
Measurements
Overall: 99.1 x 99.1 cm (39 x 39 in.)
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2017.60
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

It is unknown whether Chancay head cloths were part of larger clothing ensembles.

Description

This tie-dyed panel was probably worn as a head cloth, a common article of women’s wear among the Chancay people of Peru’s central coast. Its colors are reminiscent of a deep twilight, when the sky turns a luminous, dark blue and a shimmer of orange light appears on the horizon. It is not known whether the repeated squares have symbolic significance.
A square piece of crinkled cotton cloth is resist-dyed with a dense honeycomb grid. A broad diagonal band of warm terracotta orange stretches across the surface, framed by muted navy blue at the top right and bottom left corners. The fabric's puckered texture creates light-colored diamond patterns throughout the central band. The colors merge with soft, blurred edges, giving the textile a gauzy, handcrafted appearance.

Head Cloth

1000–1460s

Central Andes, central coast, Chancay people

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