Pre-Columbian Peru
WEAVING
DISPLAY CASE 17
The wide variety of textile techniques known in pre-Columbian Peru was created using very simple looms similar to those still used today by Andean populations, which are made up of two transversal wooden bars between which the warp is stretched. In the “fixed” looms, the two bars are anchored to stops that guarantee a constant tension of the warp threads. By contrast, in the so-called ‹‹tension loom›› only the upper bar is fixed, while the lower one is stopped by a strap that passes behind the back of the weaver who, with this expedient, can control the tension of the thread with just a few movements. The simplest fabrics were made using the canvas technique, in which the horizontal element (weft) passes alternately above and below the vertical warp threads. By combining yarns of different colors, it was possible to obtain striped and squared canvases.
1. Collection of samples of Chancay textile motifs.
Tapestry, Cotton and wool
Central coast, 13th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
2. Work basket containing spindles and skeins
Some wrapped in a cotton headscarf found inside the basket
Central coast, 10th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
3. Hanks
On the left: plant fiber, blue-tinted cotton and yellow-tinted alpaca wool;
on the right: natural cotton
Necropolis of Ancon and Rimac Valley,
10th – 16th century CE
4. Tools for spinning and weaving
Cactus spine needles, some of which have an eye, sword used during weaving
to press the wefts, balls of cotton fused with a pad or cylinder whorl
Necropolis of Ancon and Rimac Valley, 10th – 16th century CE
FEMININE ATTIRE
Feminine clothing is sparsely represented in grave goods. Some information can be gleaned from the Chancay dolls and especially from the news provided by Spanish chroniclers regarding the Inca populations of the sierra in particular. Women wore a sort of tunic (anaku) tied around the waist with a wide, decorated belt (chumpi), a shawl (llicla) around the shoulders, fixed at the breast with a pin (tupu), and they covered their head with a finely woven veil.
5. Shawl
Complementary warp bands with interlocking snake motif. In the middle band canvas with supplementary wefts (central panel) and complementary wefts (ends). Cotton and wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
6. Feminine dolls
Chancay culture, 13th 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
7. Tupu
Silver pin used by women to hold the shawl in place
S. Beatriz, Lima, 10th – 16th century CE
Donated by Bortolotti, 1878
CANVAS
DISPLAY CASE 18
Weaving. CANVAS
1. Striped canvas
CottonNecropolis of Ancon, 9th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
2. Fragment of canvas with partial warp and weft
CottonSouthern coast, 6th – 9th century CE (?)
Fantin acquisition, 1983
3-5. Fragments of canvas probably used to wrap the deceased
CottonNecropolis of Ancon and Rimac Vally 9th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885 and Tacchini, 1897
TAPESTRIES
DISPLAY CASE 19
Weaving. TAPESTRIES
In tapestries the weft threads, almost always of wool, very fine and compact, constitute the dominant element of the fabric, completely hiding the warp. As in canvas, the structure is based on the regular crossing of warp and weft, with the difference, however, that the weft is not made up of a single continuous thread, but of adjacent portions of different colors. These portions can be joined with various types of hooks, but more often, especially in the Chancay fabrics, they are separated by vertical gaps left open for decorative purposes.
1. Fragment of cloak
Gapped tapestry portions with figures of birds. Cotton and wool
Central cost, 10th – 13th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
2. Hand-shaped fragments
Tapestry with hooks. Cotton
Rimac Valley, 10th – 16th century CE
Tacchini Collection, 1897
3. Fragment of border with figures of birds
Gapped tapestry. Cotton and wool
Central coast, 10th – 13th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
4. Lateral edge of loincloth with end configured as an anthropomorphic head
Gapped tapestry. Cotton and wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
5. Fragment of border with stylized crabs
Gapped tapestry with swallowtail hooks. Cotton and wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
6. Edge probably of a loincloth with two-headed birds
Gapped tapestry. Cotton and wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
7. Border fragment with figure with headdress with ornithomorphic appendages, scepter and trophy head
Gapped tapestry. Cotton and wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
8. Border with dancers holding a bell and a flute
Gapped tapestry. Cotton and wool
Central coast, 13th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
9. Two fragments of strips
Tapestry with partially sewn gaps. Wool weft on cotton warp
Rimac Valley, 8th – 10th century CE
Tacchini Collection, 1897
10. Fragmentary border with birds with scalloped plumage
Gapped tapestry. Cotton and wool
Central coast, 13th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
SUPPLEMENTARY WEFT AND WARP
DISPLAY CASE 20
Weaving. SUPPLEMENTARY WEFT AND WARP
The supplementary weft technique consists in the insertion of decorated wefts, normally of wool, on a background cloth mostly of cotton. The supplementary wefts are incorporated into the fabric during the weaving at the same time as the background weft and can be continuous or discontinuous: in the first case they cross the fabric transversally from one selvage to the other, untying on the back when they do not appear on the front of the fabric (1-2); in the second they are inserted exclusively in correspondence with decorated portions (3-5). Similarly, with the supplementary warp technique, it was possible to create decorative motifs in the vertical direction of the warp (6-7).
1. Fragment
Cotton cloth with two supplementary wefts of wool
Necropolis of Ancon, Incan period, 15th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
2. Fragment of shawl with interlocking snakes
Cotton cloth with supplementary wefts of wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
3-4. Fragments of border with feline and feline-raptor heads
Cloth with discontinuous supplementary wefts of wool
Southern coast, 8th – 9th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
5. Fragment of border with portion of nonwoven warp forming a fringe
Cotton cloth with discontinuous supplementary weft of wool
Trujillo, 10th – 16th century CE
Tacchini Collection, 1897
6. Cloth with supplementary warp
Cotton
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
7. Fragment with diagonal lines of birds
Cotton cloth with supplementary wefts of wool
Central coast, 13th -15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
8. Turban
Cloth with supplementary warp. Cotton
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
COMPLEMENTARY WARPS AND WEFTS
DISPLAY CASE 21
Weaving. COMPLEMENTARY WARPS AND WEFTS
In complementary warp structures, the warp is divided into two or more layers, normally of contrasting colors, whose threads cross the weft with an equivalent and reciprocal rhythm on both sides of the fabric: when the threads of one layer pass over one or more elements of the weft, those of the other layer pass under it, and vice versa. This technique, which makes it possible to create vertical bands with complex decorative motifs, was widespread in the pre-Columbian era and is still used today in the whole Andean region. By contrast, the memory of the complementary weft technique, based on the same principle as described for complementary warps, with which horizontal decorative bands were created, has been lost.
1. Open-sided bag with zoomorphic heads alternated with small mammals, probably foxes
Complementary warps. Wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti, 1885
2. Fragment with composite zoomorphic figures
Complementary warps. Wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
3. Fragment of border with joined birds
Complementary warps. Cotton
Central coast, 13th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
4. Bag
Bands with complementary warps. Wool
Arica (Chilean north coast), 13th -15th century CE
Tacchini Collection, 1897
5. Fragment of bag
Band with complementary warps. Wool
Rimac Valley, 10th – 15th century CE
Tacchini Collection, 1897
6. Fragment of border with joined birds
Complementary warps of wool and weft of cotton
Central coast, 10th – 13th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
7.Fragmentary belt with interlocking snakes
Complementary warps. Wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
8. Borders with birds, probably from the same fabric
Complementary wefts of wool on cotton warp
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
9. Fragmentary borders with birds
Complementary wefts of wool on cotton warp
Southern coast, 7th – 9th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
10. Fragment of border with joined birds converging into a snake’s head
Complementary weft of wool and cotton on cotton warp
Rimac Valley, 13th -16th century CE
Tacchini Collection, 1897
11. Small bag made from an incomplete fabric
Complementary weft of wool on cotton warp
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
12. Fragment of cotton cloth
Border with complementary weft of wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
DOUBLE FABRICS
DISPLAY CASE 22
Weaving. DOUBLE FABRICS
Double fabrics are obtained by simultaneously weaving two layers of cloth. In correspondence with the decorative motif, weft and warp threads pass from one layer to the other to form the design that is thus identical but with the colors reversed on the two sides of the cloth. Using the same principle, double fabrics were also made which had the complementary warp or weft structure as a basis.
1. Fragment with interlocking snakes alternated with small mammals with prey
Double fabric. Cotton
Central coast, 13th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
2. End of turban with feathered felines
Portions in double fabric. Cotton and wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
3. Funerary bag with stylized felines
Double fabric. Cotton
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
4-5. Small funerary bags with stylized snake heads
Double fabric. Cotton
Necropolis of Ancon
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
6. Small funerary bags with stylized snake heads
Double fabric. Cotton and wool
Rimac Valley
Tacchini Collection, 1897
7-8. Funerary bags with felines and snake heads
Double fabric. Cotton
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
9. Fragment with feathered feline
Double fabric. Cotton and wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
10. Bag unstitched and open on one side with figures of frogs surrounded by fish, birds and llamas
Double fabric with dominant weft. Cotton and wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
11. Border with parrots
Doble fabric with complementary wefts of wool on cotton warps
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th -10th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
12. Border with snakes
Double fabric with complementary wefts of wool on cotton warps
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th -15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
13. Bag made from portions of strips sewn longitudinally
Double fabric with complementary warps. Wool
Probably southern coast, Inca period, 15th – 16th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
EMBROIDERY
DISPLAY CASE 23
Weaving. EMBROIDERY
On the southern coast between 300 BCE and 900 CE, embroidery was particularly widespread and was done by needle once the weaving was complete.
1. Cloak
Cloth with grass point embroidery on border. Wool
Southern coast, 3rd – 2nd century BCE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
2. Fragment
Cotton cloth with straight stitch embroidery in wool
Southern coast, 3rd- 2nd century BCE
3. Bag with stylized birds
Cotton cloth with boucle stitch embroidery in wool
Southern coast, 8th – 10th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
4.Bag
Cloth with double straight stitch embroidery. Wool
Southern coast, 8th – 10th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
MASCULINE ATTIRE
DISPLAY CASE 24
The main articles of masculine clothing, documented both by grave goods and Spanish chronicles, were the unku, a shirt that was usually sleeveless, a cloak, the wara, a sort of ample loincloth, and the llautu, a headband wrapped like a turban. To hold their coca leaves, men wore a chuspa, a shoulder bag very similar to those still used today by Andean populations.
1. Wool shirt with extensive mending
Cloth
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
2. Fragment of masculine tunic decorated with rows of birds on beige background
Double cloth
Central coast, Chancay culture
3. Bags
Complementary warps. Wool
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
4. Four-pointed hat
Southern coast
8th – 10th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
5. Masculine dolls dressed in a shirt, loincloth, turban and bag
Chancay culture, 13th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
6. Loincloth
Cloth. Cotton
Rimac Valley
Tacchini Collection, 1987
7. Bag
Complementary warps. Wool
Necropolis of Ancon, Incan period
15th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
8. Fragment of turban characterized by two bands side by side
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
THE FUNERAL RITUAL
DISPLAY CASE 25
THE FUNERAL RITUAL
On the central coast of Peru the burial of the dead in fetal position came into use starting in the 7th century CE. The body of the deceased was wrapped in multiple layers of padded fabric with dry leaves and cotton. The funerary wrappings datable between the 7th and the 12th century were normally topped with a false wooden head or padded cloth that simulated the face of the deceased. In the tomb, next to the deceased, were placed numerous funerary offerings – especially fabrics, ceramics, pumpkins and metal items – as well as some objects related to the activities carried out by the deceased during their lifetime, such as spindles or weaving tools for women and weapons or fishing utensils for men.
1. Fragment of loincloth decorated with a diagonal motif of polychrome diamonds formed by the union of opposing indented triangles
Central coast, Chancay culture
2. Funerary pottery
Geometric style in three colors
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
3. Funerary amphora
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th -15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
4. Mummy of young woman (16-18 years old)
Under the body remains of the fabric from the original wrappings
The strip around the leg is a 19th century addition
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
5. Miniature jars
used for powder and unguent offerings
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collectiont, 1885
Tacchini Collection, 1897
DISPLAY CASE 26
CHANCAY POTTERY
Chancay style pottery, widespread along the central coast of Peru between the 13th and the 15th century CE, is characterized by coarsely made vases, the surface of which is covered in a whitish patina decorated with black geometric paintings.
Chancay pottery was made mainly using the so-called “colombini” technique, which consisted in superimposing rolls of damp clay on a flat or convex base and then leveling and smoothing them with a spatula. It is notable, in fact, that pre-Columbian populations did not use lathes, though it is likely that they used rotation trimming to make the jar walls thinner.
1. Bowls
Chancay style
Necropolis of Ancon and Rimac Valley, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
Tacchini Collection, 1897
2-3. Funerary pottery
Chancay style
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
4. Earrings made of cane tubes wrapped in plant fiber
Decorations for false heads
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
5. Cane crosses and cotton thread
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 13th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
6. Small terracotta statues representing a feminine figure, probably linked to fertility
These were wrapped between the strips of the burial wrap or hung through the holes in the headdress.
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
7. Anthropomorphic wooden figurine and small terracotta blade
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
8. Small cane tubes containing lime and cinnabar
These were inserted between the deceased’s fingers and toes
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
9. Lime-holder gourds
Lime was used to melt the stimulating substances contained in coca leaves
Necropolis of Ancon and Rimac Valley, 9th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
Tacchini Collection, 1897
DISPLAY CASE 27
10. Miniature jars
Used for offerings of powders and unguents
Necropolis of Ancon and Rimac Valley, 10th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
Tacchini, 1897
11. Bottle and bowl
Necropolis of Ancon, Incan period, 15th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
12. Pyrography gourd bowls
Used to place offerings at the feet of the deceased
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th -16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
13. Fishing net, lines and lead weights
Necropolis of Ancon, 9th – 16th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
14. Copper axe and ceremonial knife
S. Beatriz, Lima, 13th – 15th century CE
15. Ear-cleaning spatulas
Tumbaga, gold and copper alloy
S. Beatriz, Lima, 13th – 15th century CE
16. Spondylus shells and shell bracelets
The spondylus, which is not found on the Peruvian coast, was imported from the
coasts of Ecuador and was highly sought after as a burial offering
Central coast
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
donated by the Tacchini heirs, 1906
CHIMU' CULTURE
DISPLAY CASE 28- 29
CHIMU' CULTURE
The fabrics produced on the northern coast between the 9th and the 16th century CE are closely analogous to fabrics from the same period from the central coast. The pottery, on the other hand, differs clearly from the rough Chancay amphorae and appears to be characterized by the prevalence of molded plastic forms that depict a great variety of subjects drawn mostly from the plant and animal world.
The black color similar to the bucchero typical of Chimú ceramics was obtained by firing the vessels in a reducing atmosphere, i.e. low in oxygen.
By contrast, the style known as “Chimú-Lambayeque” (from the valley of the same name) appears to be characterized by vessels coated in an orange slip decorated with black paintings.
Many Chimú artifacts were found along the central coast, which serves as proof of close contact, as yet insufficiently researched, between the various coastal ethnicities of the pre-Incan period.
1. Turban
Cotton and wool tapestry with tufts of wool
Chimú culture, 10th – 13th century CE
Necropolis of Ancon
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
2. Loincloth
Cotton cloth with supplementary weft of wool
On the lower edge the decoration has been woven on the back so as to appear on the front when the garment is worn
Chimú culture, Necropolis of Ancon, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
3. Funerary pottery
Chimú Culture
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
4. Funerary pottery
Chimú Culture
Necropolis of Ancon, 13th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
5. Funerary pottery
Chimú-Lambayecque Culture
The left example depicts a fisherman on a caballito, the typical rush boat still made today on the Peruvian coast and Lake Titicaca. Behind the fisherman can be seen the whistle that produces a characteristic hiss when the liquid contained in the jar is poured.
Necropolis of Ancon, 10th – 15th century CE
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
6. Funerary Pottery
Chimú Culture
Trujillo, 13th – 15th century CE
Tacchini Collection, 1897
DISPLAY CASE 30
7. Stencil-painted cotton cloth
Chimú culture, 13th – 15th century CE
Necropolis of Ancon
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
8. Fragment with figures of monkeys with half-moon headdresses holding a cup
Cotton cloth with supplementary weft of wool
Chimú culture, 13th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
9. Fragment with bird figures
Tapestry with wool and cotton wefts on cotton warp
Chimú culture, 10th – 13th century CE
Necropolis of Ancon
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
10. Scepter pommel and ceremonial knife with dancing and praying figures
Copper
Chimú culture, 13th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
11. Ceremonial knife with parrot figure at the end of the handle
Copper
Chimú culture, 13th – 15th century CE
Necropolis of Ancon
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885
12. Wooden earrings with feathers
Chimú culture, 13th – 15th century CE
Fantin acquisition, 1983
13. Fragment with bird figure
Cotton cloth with supplementary weft of wool
Chimú culture, 13th – 15th century CE
Rimac Valley
Tacchini Collection, 1897
14. Fragment of border with anthropomorphic figures with serpentine gorget, scepter and trophy head
Tapestry with weft of wool on cotton warp
Chimú culture, 10th – 13th century CE
Necropolis of Ancon
Boccolari-Parenti Collection, 1885