The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Tunic

c. 1400–1540

Peru, Inca, 15th-16th century

tapestry; cotton and camelid fiber
Average: 85.1 x 76.2 cm (33 1/2 x 30 in.)
Gift of William R. Carlisle 1957.136
Location: Not on view

Description

Finely woven interlocked tapestry garments were a privilege of the nobility within the Inca Empire. Such garments were made throughout the vast Inca territory by women of noble families, by professional weavers, and by the Aclla (Chosen Women). These specialists lived in cloistered communities and served the state by brewing beer and weaving fine cloth. The products of their labor were redistributed by the Inca state as prized gifts to loyal vassals and allies. The standardized decorative scheme of this tunic, known as the Inca Key, is one of the most common Inca tunic patterns.
  • John Wise.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 299 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. 299 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. 403 archive.org
    Pillsbury, Joanne. “Inka Unku: Strategy and Design in Colonial Peru.” Cleveland Studies in the History of Art 7 (2002): 68–103. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 68-69, fig. 1 www.jstor.org
    Schreffler, Michael J. Cuzco: Incas, Spaniards, and the Making of a Colonial City. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2020. Reproduced: P. 29, fig. 1.6
  • Andean Gallery 107 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 21, 2002-January 26, 2004).
    Gallery 107 textile rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 20, 2002-January 26, 2004).
  • {{cite web|title=Tunic|url=false|author=|year=c. 1400–1540|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1957.136