Tapestry Fragment

700–1370s

Tapestry Fragment, 700–1370s. Peru, North Coast, Lambayeque (Sicán) people. Camelid fiber and cotton, tapestry weave; overall: 40 x 16.2 cm (15 3/4 x 6 3/8 in.); mounted: 49.5 x 16.2 cm (19 1/2 x 6 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1991.223 The prominent figure duplicated on this brightly colored fragment is known today simply as a “Lord,” a term that reveals uncertainty about his identity but confidence in his prestige, conveyed in part by his elaborate headdress. Whether a king or a deity, he was crucially important to the north coast Lambayeque (lahm-buy-yek-kay) (Sicán) people, who portrayed him repeatedly in many media and objects. The geometric motif that repeats in the nine central squares is unidentified.