Tunic

800-1000 A.D.; Huari; Cotton, wool; height 210 cm (83 in.); Founders Society Purchase with funds from Lee and Tina Hills; 1986.25

Elaborate costumes woven in an intricate slit tapestry technique were the formal dress of the nobility of the ancient Huari empire, worn at court and placed on the body for burial. The complex patterns on this tunic may look totally abstract, but they are based on stylized eyes and mouths full of fangs symbolizing powerful feline deities.

JPEG, 74K