Half of a Tabard
1400-1532
Medium
Cotton, plain weave, with double warps and single wefts; embellished with feathers (likely from great or snowy egrets, Muscovy ducks,Chilean flamigos, and macaws) knotted and attached with cotton in back stitches
Dimensions
88.9 × 70.2 cm (35 × 27 5/8 in.)
Classification
featherwork
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
85508
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This man’s garment was woven like a Chimú textile made on the north coast of Peru, but its feline motifs are similar to those created by Ica or Chincha artists of the south coast. It may have been produced when these cultures were subjugated by the Inca Empire. Unfortunately, few similar brown-and-white feathered tunics are currently known, making comparative studies difficult. The Art Institute of Chicago stewards this one as well as a second example, and the Linden Museum in Stuttgart preserve...
About the Artist
Chimú
The Chimú, a preeminent pre-Columbian culture of Peru's northern coast, flourished from approximately 900 to 1470 CE as the Kingdom of Chimor, emerging in the wake of the Moche civilization's decline and incorporating influences from the Sican, Wari, and Cajamarca cultures. Centered in the vast adobe metropolis of Chan Chan—the largest city in the Americas before the Inca, housing up to 60,000 peo...