Fragment (200 CE-900 CE): Artwork and History

Fragment (200 CE-900 CE) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Nasca or Wari Tunga, Nazca Valley, South coast, Peru.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

Geometric patterns are common in Andean textile art. Although it may appear simple at first look, this panel is far more elaborate than meets the eye: the geometric designs presented here were formed using multiple techniques, with the weaving of the blue and red half-step frets, the outlining in white embroidery, and the edging in cross-knit loop stitches. This pattern creates an overall checkerboard of color, with the juxtaposed colored surfaces further combining to create full-step frets.

Object facts

• Title: Fragment
• Date: 200 CE-900 CE
• Artist attribution: Nasca or Wari Tunga, Nazca Valley, South coast, Peru
• Place of origin: Peru
• Medium: Wool (camelid), plain weave of discontinuous warps and wefts; embroidered in double running stitches; edged with cross-knit loop stitches
• Dimensions: 55.9 × 68.6 cm (22 × 27 in.)
• Type: Textile
• Department: Textiles
• Reference number: 1956.170

Collection credit

Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Henry G. Barkhausen

View the original

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The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.