Panel
Possibly 500 CE-600 CE
Medium
Cotton and wool (camelid), slit tapestry weave with outlining wefts
Dimensions
67 × 45.1 cm (26 3/8 × 17 3/4 in.)
Classification
weaving
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
85375
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This panel includes figures that combine human and animal features, a theme frequently explored in art from throughout the ancient Andean region. The design consists of two groupings of abstract anthropomorphic beings (possibly deities) wearing ornate whiskered feline masks, headdresses, and ear ornaments. Appendages and heads radiate from the figures in all directions, which produces a design that can be read from various viewpoints. The multiple heads suggest otherworldly powers and may repres...
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 ...