The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Fragment of Embroidered Cloth

c. 300–100 BCE

Peru, South Coast, Paracas, Late Period

embroidery on plain wool ground
Average: 100.3 x 139.1 cm (39 1/2 x 54 3/4 in.)
The Norweb Collection 1940.528
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Extremely dry conditions on Peru's desert coast allow for the extraordinary preservation of textiles.

Description

The repetition of a nonmythical figure, in this case a warrior holding spears and a trophy head, was one of the important innovations of Paracas textile design during the Late Paracas period. The trophy head cult was an essential aspect of crop fertility and was, therefore, a focal point of Paracas art in general.
  • ?-1940
    Emery May Holden Norweb [1895-1984] and Raymond Henry Norweb [1894-1983], Cleveland OH, 1940, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1940
    The Cleveland Museum of Art
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 342 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 297 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 297 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 401 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 8 archive.org
  • Treasures of Peruvian Gold. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 23-April 3, 1966).
    Art of the Americas. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9, 1945-January 6, 1946).
    Art of the Americas. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 19-April 11, 1943).
  • {{cite web|title=Fragment of Embroidered Cloth|url=false|author=|year=c. 300–100 BCE|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1940.528