Tiahuanaco Camelid Fiber Four-Cornered Hat

Pre-Columbian, Chile, Tiahuanaco (also Tiwanaku), ca. 400 to 700 CE. A finely woven, four-cornered hat of a rather high form, featuring a square crown and pointed tips, the yarns dyed black for the perimeter of the had and cochineal red on the square top with a narrow band of cochineal red trim around the rim. Four-cornered hats, made by both the Tiwanaku and the Wari/Huari, were comprised of camelid fibers that were skillfully prepared into yarns and dyed. Artists from both cultures also favored similar geometric designs, including crosses, stepped triangles, as well as the diamonds we see adorning this hat. Size: 6.5" L x 6.5" W x 6.875" H (16.5 cm x 16.5 cm x 17.5 cm)

An informative essay on the Metropolitan Museum of Art website presents a nice discussion about techniques that are specific to the Wari/Huari and Tiwanaku four-cornered hats: "Although they shared certain technological traditions, such as complex tapestry weaving and knotting techniques, the Wari and the Tiwanaku utilized significantly different construction methods to create four-cornered hats. Wari artists typically fashioned the top and corner peaks as separate parts and later assembled them together. Tiwanaku artists generally knotted from the top down, starting with the top and four peaks, to create a single piece. In addition, four-cornered hats knotted with pile have largely been discovered at Wari sites, while those knotted without pile have been found in Tiwanaku burials. Through these variances, scholars have been able to attribute individual works to one group or the other."

Provenance: ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950-1960s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#150910
Condition Report: Hat is lined with black museum-quality fabric and set on a custom form for optimal display. Minor losses to red trim on the bottom. A few areas of loose/missing fibers from the red square crown and the black walls of the hat and some minor fading to the black fibers, but in overall remarkable condition - a credit to the arid climate of its place of origin.