Browse Items (35 total)

The principle of ayni—reciprocity, dualism, interlockedness— is consummately expressed in cloth such as this, a doublecloth dating to ca. 1000–1470 AD. Its patterns play out in indigo and white, a dualistic color choice, and in the…

This belt dates from between 1000 and 1450 AD. It represents continuity within the long tradition of finely woven belts made in warp-face techniques. It is similar, but not identical, to the complementary techniques used in the 20th and 21st century.…

Unlike today’s synthetic dyes that can produce any color— whether dark, light, or even florescent—in pre-Industrial times certain hues and values (colors and their relative darkness) were more difficult to attain than others. Using natural…

The textile artists of the ancient Andes, such as the Chancay of the central coast, invented nearly every known fiber-working technique, including the unique embroidered openwork seen at left and right. While it may resemble lace, it is first loosely…

It may seem odd that the distinctively Inka mode of writing in knotted threads would survive the Spanish invasion and colonization. Indeed, in 1581 the khipu was officially outlawed, although its use went underground and has not completely…

A writing device—fulfilling the communicative purpose of recording and transmitting knowledge among trained individuals over time—the Inka khipu can take a number of forms (a mono- and polychrome example). In the ways that a handwritten poem…

Writing—recording information in a format that others at the time and later can decipher—was accomplished by the Inka Empire of South America using thousands of knotted string devices known as khipu. In the Carlos collection there are two other…

This brocaded cloth features a supernatural pelican-man. Still bright after over five hundred years, scarlet highlights the standing figure’s face and the many little pelicans that sit on his arms and emerge magically from/as his body. The two…

Although this piece is also only part of a larger composition, nevertheless it is very revealing. Here the intentional color surprise is the bright pink background for the yellow bird toward the top right corner. No other instance of such a color is…

A fragment of a Wari tapestry tunic was originally along the side seam of a four-foot square garment. However, even this small fragment illustrates several important concepts and aesthetic choices made over 1300 years ago in the Andes. The…