Two Tapestry-woven Panel Fragments

1000–1460s

Two Tapestry-woven Panel Fragments, 1000–1460s. Central Andes, North Coast, Chimú people. Camelid fiber and cotton, tapestry weave; overall: 88 x 51 cm (34 5/8 x 20 1/16 in.); mounted: 99.1 x 63.5 cm (39 x 25 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1985.7 These two fragments, mounted side by side, come from the Chimú Empire of Peru’s north coast. Each features horizontal rows containing four frontal figures. The rows alternate with wider registers, each with an H shape that represents a litter seen from above. A form of transport reserved for only the most esteemed members of society, the litter would have been carried by human porters via poles at each corner. The object hovering above the litter has not been identified. Scattered around this centerpiece are small creatures, including birds, a fish (beneath the litter), and two insect-like creatures posed as if they are carrying the litter.