Large Ica Polychrome Textile w/ Avian Motif

Pre-Columbian, south coast Peru, Ica culture, ca. 1000 CE. An eye-catching rectangular textile panel composed of camelid (alpaca or llama wool) fibers in hues of crimson, fuchsia, cream, teal, cobalt blue, and beige. Displayed across the sizable textile are 207 individual panels depicting groups of colorful, inversely corresponding birds with geometric bodies and heads, and the grounds of each panel consist of two interlocking pyramidal shapes with red being the constant color between either teal or dark blue hues. Enormous textiles like this example were perhaps used as elaborate burial linens used to wrap the dead before placing them in a tomb, though they were also perhaps used as everyday clothing wraps like shawls. Mounted atop a thick linen that is stretched over a wooden display frame. Size (textile): 67" L x 32.25" W (170.2 cm x 81.9 cm); (display frame): 71.375" L x 37.1" W (181.3 cm x 94.2 cm)

Provenance: ex-private C. Webster collection, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, acquired before 2000; ex-Paul Shepard collection

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#155899
Condition Report: Small areas of loss along lower periphery as shown. Minor fraying and loosening to some interior and peripheral fibers, with staining and fading to coloration, and light creasing. Great remains of avian iconography throughout.