#nasca

study of nasca vessel, or; restraint is a very hard thing for me

Benaki Museum, Athens.

Nasca artist(s) Bottle in the shape of a dog 1–600 CE Peru, South Coast Ceramic, slip H. 5 1/8 × W. 3 1/2 × D. 6 1/2 in. (13 × 8.9 × 16.5 cm)

This extraordinarily complex mantle, or cloak, is one of the most renowned Andean textiles in the world. It was most likely used as a ceremonial object. The ninety figures decorating the border, created by needle knitting, have been interpreted as a microcosm of life on Peru’s South Coast two thousand years ago, with a particular focus on agriculture. Many of the images illustrate native flora and fauna as well as cultivated plants. Costumed figures may represent humans impersonating gods and acting as intermediaries between the real and supernatural worlds. Severed human trophy heads are shown as germinating seeds, suggesting the practice of ritual sacrifice and the interconnected cycles of birth and death.

in the art institute of chicago collection

Ceremonial Textile, Nasca Huari ca. 300-700CE, alpaca yarns Detroit Institute of Arts

This vibrantly colored headband with ornamental tassels, made by Nasca weavers on the south coast of Peru, illustrates both the impressive technical skill needed to produce a fabric of this length and complexity and the remarkable preservation of organic material in the Nasca desert, one of the driest places on earth. The brilliant blue color was obtained using indigo and the red from either cochineal or Galium sp (Devia Castillo, 2018). The geometric stepped design on the body of the headband is a common style reproduced on many Nasca garments from this period. The tassels at the two ends are made from the warps woven into six bundles using the same colors as on the main body of the fabric. The exclusive use of camelid fibers, obtained from llamas and alpacas native to the higher altitudes in the Andes, suggests an influence of the highland Wari culture, an empire that later dominated the coast.

Nasca, Bottle in shape of dog, 1-600 CE (MET)