Description:

Pre-Columbian, South-Central Andes and coastal region of Peru, Wari or Huari ca. 500 to 900 CE. Comprised of smooth, low pile camelid (llama or alpaca) fibers, a four-cornered hat with a characteristically square top and pointed tips adorned by red tassels. Three sides of the hat present wonderful geometric patterns and the fourth presents a grid of four camelid figures standing in profile. All are composed with fibers of red, beige, green, blue, and purple hues. Given the smooth pile surface, this example is most likely Wari, as opposed to examples woven by Tiwanaku weavers that have knotted surfaces. Size: 4.5" W x 3.75" H (11.4 cm x 9.5 cm); 6" H (15.2 cm) on included custom stand.

See a four-cornered Tijuanaco (Tiwanaku) hat at the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts - https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1994.35.158/

According to the curatorial team at the Met, "Finely woven tunics and four-cornered hats were symbols of prestige in Wari and Tiwanaku societies. Worn by high-status men, these garments were decorated with geometric designs and stylized figurative images depicting staff bearing anthropomorphic figures, animals, and plants central in Wari and Tiwanaku religions." (https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1994.35.158/)

Provenance: private Southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s

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#140711

  • Condition: Small stitched tear at lower edge of one side. A few openings to stitches on top of hat. Normal fraying to tassels and fading to coloring in areas commensurate with age.

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December 6, 2018 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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