Tapestry panel

The time period to which this textile panel might be attributed is one when the great cultures of Peru were being rebuilt. The power of the Wari empire and its amazing textiles permeated the art of many local cultures. While some textiles created during this period have only random echoes of Wari iconography and coloration in a free-for-all organization, this textile has no discernable remnant of iconography--only the vibrant color contrasts of the successive waving outlines, one surrounding another. The technical term, "slit tapestry," normally implies production on a loom. Analysis indicates that this panel was woven by hand on tensioned warps without the discipline of sheds and heddles. It consists of colored wefts which go over and under a varying number of warps, sometimes two, three, four, or five, suggesting that each interlacing action was actually hand-made. The warp construction itself is of two plies, one brown and one tan, which form a bi-chrome warp--a technique also found in Wari textiles, suggesting but not proving a highland origin for the textile.