Fragment
200 CE-900 CE
Medium
Wool (camelid), plain weave of discontinuous warps and wefts; embroidered in double running stitches; edged with cross-knit loop stitches
Dimensions
55.9 × 68.6 cm (22 × 27 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
2255
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Geometric patterns are common in Andean textile art. Although it may appear simple at first look, this panel is far more elaborate than meets the eye: the geometric designs presented here were formed using multiple techniques, with the weaving of the blue and red half-step frets, the outlining in white embroidery, and the edging in cross-knit loop stitches. This pattern creates an overall checkerboard of color, with the juxtaposed colored surfaces further combining to create full-step frets.
About the Artist
Nasca
Nasca artists, active from approximately 100 BCE to 800 CE along the arid southern coast of Peru in the Rio Grande de Nazca and Ica Valleys, produced some of the most vibrant and technically innovative art of the ancient Americas. Their work emerged from the Paracas tradition, expanding on earlier resin-painted ceramics and complex textiles while introducing pre-fire slip painting in up to twelve ...