The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 7, 2026

A dark green woven textile tunic features complex red and orange embroidery. A vertical slit marks the neck. Intricate red bands frame the top and bottom edges, while a central checkerboard pattern alternates dark green squares with red squares containing blocky, stylized figures. Long dark green fringe descends from the bottom hem, and thick red fringe with green accents flows from the left and right sides.

Tunic

c. 300 BCE–200 CE

Peru, South Coast, Paracas style

(Cavernas)
Alpaca wool: plain weave with embroidery and warp substitution
Overall: 94 x 83.8 cm (37 x 33 in.); Mounted: 111.8 x 101.6 cm (44 x 40 in.)
The Norweb Collection 1946.227
Location: 232 Andean

Did You Know?

Fine textiles were one of the most prestigious commodities in the ancient Andes.

Description

Brightly dyed wool yarns found in many ancient Peruvian textiles come mainly from alpacas that were domesticated and selectively bred to produce long, soft, lustrous fiber. The finely spun yarns in a broad range of colors as seen on this tunic—well preserved after approximately 2,000 years of burial—attest to the Paracas people’s considerable artistry. A double-headed bird motif appears multiple times throughout the tunic’s design.
  • ?-1946
    Emery May Holden Norweb [1895-1984] and Raymond Henry Norweb [1894-1983], Cleveland OH, 1946, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1946
    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. 341 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
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 332; Reproduced: P. 320-321
    “A Walking Tour: The entire new museum wing by wing, with curators calling out a few favorite works in the collection.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 54, no. 1 (January/February 2014): 8-33. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 26 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016. Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 28
  • Ancient Andean Textiles. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 19, 2025-December 13, 2026).
    Gallery 232-Andean Textile Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 28, 2019-November 9, 2020).
    Gallery 232- Andean Textile Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 20, 2013-August 25, 2014).
    The Andean Tunic: 200 BCE - 1650 CE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (March 8-October 16, 2011).
    Treasures of Peruvian Gold. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 23-April 3, 1966).
    Treasures of Peruvian Gold. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 23-April 3, 1966).
    Ancient Arts of the Andes. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (January 26, 1954-March 26, 1954).
    Art of the Americas. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9, 1945-January 6, 1946).
    Ancient Peruvian Textiles. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 5, 1941-April 6, 1941).
  • {{cite web|title=Tunic|url=false|author=|year=c. 300 BCE–200 CE|access-date=07 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1946.227