Textile Item Number: Sf858 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Piece of dark brown weave cotton with four brocaded figures in dark and light yellow, brown and light red. The figure has a plume arching out of the top of its head in one direction and a plume in place of a body, arching in the other direction. Each plume ends in three stacked triangles. The face has a single eye and two hook-like ears. One weft selvedge present; other edges cut or torn.

History Of Use

Possibly part of a mantle but too fragmentary for certain identification. The yarn spin and ground fabric are typical of Chancay (Rowe), but the plumed motif is consistently associated with the north coast Chimu Style (Rowe). This suggests the fragment dates to the latter part of the Late Intermediate Period when Chimu influence spread to the central coast.

Iconographic Meaning

The plumes or appendages that end in stacked triangles occurs on many Chimu Style figures. It is a feature that is iconographically significant (Rowe), but the meaning is not yet clear.