About the Artwork
This finely woven and embroidered miniature poncho was made for a high-ranking child and was probably worn on state occasions before being buried with its owner. This extremely intricate embroidery imitates the geometry of a woven textile because of its repeated pattern of interlocking double-headed serpents, which probably represent an agricultural deity.
Miniature Poncho
between 100 BCE and 100 CE
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Precolumbian
Paracas
Plain weave with stem-stitch embroidery and two fringes, cotton and camelid fiber
Overall: 31 1/2 × 33 1/2 inches (80 × 85.1 cm)
Textiles
Indigenous Americas
Founders Society Purchase with funds from Founders Junior Council, and the J. Lawrence Buell, Jr. Fund
1993.22
This work is in the public domain.
Markings
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Provenance
1993-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
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Credit Line for Reproduction
Paracas, Precolumbian, Miniature Poncho, between 100 BCE and 100 CE, plain weave with stem-stitch embroidery and two fringes, cotton and camelid fiber. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Founders Junior Council, and the J. Lawrence Buell, Jr. Fund, 1993.22.
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