Textile

Item number Sf824 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Data
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Description

A rectangular fragment of plain weave double cloth in two natural shades of brown cotton. Overall oblique lattice with staff-holding, winged figures in each interstice. Figure wears a pointed hat with several down-turned attachments and is surrounded by three birds or fish. Border, parallel to warp selvedge, has hooks with zoomorphic heads. One weft selvedge with sewing remnants is attached to a small bit of an adjacent panel.

History Of Use

Transitional Middle Horizon to Late Intermediate Period. The winged staff-bearer is particularly associated with Middle Horizon iconography. The oblique lattice covered with geometric patterns looks toward design organization in the Late Intermediate Period. This fragment may have been part of a mummy wrapping made from a number of loom widths. The fragment, however, is too small to be sure. The asymmetry of the birds in the background is similar to Middle Horizon double cloths from Pachacamac on the central coast (Schmidt, 1929).

Iconographic Meaning

The winged staff-bearer derives from the type of attendant figures seen on the Gateway of the Sun at Tiahuanaca. This figure is vastly removed in style but retains the primary signifier of the motif.