Category: Camelid

NOW: Toy Viscachas – 46-77-30/7651B

For this week’s Nalbound Object of the Week we have another piece of truly figural work found in the Peruvian nalbound corpus. These are one of my favorites, because viscachas are sooo cute! (Once again, I’ve included a picture of a live viscacha below for those of us less familiar with what exactly one looks like.)

Effigy, viscachas, looped. Object number: 46-77-30/7651B
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/ Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Object: Viscachas effigy

Description: Worked in yellow and dark brown yarn around a solid core, the figure includes the pointed ears, nose, and long tail of a viscacha. Overall: 7 x 2.1 x 3.2 cm (2 3/4 x 13/16 x 1 1/4 in.)1

Dated to: Early Intermediate period
Nazca2

Find location: Nazca, Peru3

Material: camelid4

Stitch(es) used: (Simple) Looping.5

Object number: 46-77-30/7651B

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61

Pictures:

A Viscacha, posted by the American Museum of Natural History
Photo: andrespuiggros, CC-BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61. Estimated to 200 BCE to 600 CE as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodization_of_pre-Columbian_Peru ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61 ↩︎
  4. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61 ↩︎
  5. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100406?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=61 ↩︎

NOW: Diamond hat with volute tree straps – 46-77-30/9440

There is a whole range of Peruvian hats with these integral ear-flap straps as seen in this week’s Nalbound Object of the Week. And yet, this one is particularly striking with its volute shaped trees. The image is unfortunately not helpful with clarifying what colors are used. The object description says dark brown and tan, but the inventory description says blue and gold. Both would be striking, but is there anyone near the Peabody that can answer?

Cap, looped. Object number: 46-77-30/9440
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/ Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Object: Cap, looped

Description: A dark brown and tan (or blue and gold) diamond lattice patterned hat with crosses in the diamonds and a volute wavy tree on the ear-flaps that extend from the top of the hat down to long fringes. Overall: 52 x 17.5 x 6.5 cm (20 1/2 x 6 7/8 x 2 9/16 in.)1

Dated to: Early Intermediate Period?2

Find location: Loma?, Peru3

Material: camelid4

Stitch(es) used: Looped.5 Z-crossed Cross-knit Looping (as determined by Anne Marie Decker based on the photograph)

Object number: 46-77-30/9440

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 Estimated to 200 BCE to 600 CE as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodization_of_pre-Columbian_Peru ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 ↩︎
  4. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 ↩︎
  5. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/81676?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=66 ↩︎

NOW: Viscachas figural effigy – 46-77-30/7651C

I hope everyone’s winter holiday season is going well and that the new year be all you need it to be. For this week’s Nalbound Object of the Week we got a viscacha figure/effigy. I love these because viscachas are sooo cute! (I’ve included a picture of a live viscacha below for those of us less familiar with what exactly one looks like.)

Effigy, viscachas, looped. Object number: 46-77-30/7651C
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/ Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Object: Viscachas effigy

Description: Worked in yellow and dark brown yarn, the figure includes the pointed ears, nose, and long tail of a viscacha. Overall: 7.5 x 1 x 1.7 cm (2 15/16 x 3/8 x 11/16 in.)1

Dated to: Early Intermediate period
Nazca2

Find location: Nazca, Peru3

Material: camelid4

Stitch(es) used: Looping.5 S-crossed and Z-crossed Simple Looping depending on which part of the viscacha (as determined by Anne Marie Decker based on the photograph)

Object number: 46-77-30/7651C

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62

Pictures:

A vizcacha (Lagidium viscacia) near Rio Grande, in the Atacama desert, Chile.
Photo: Alexandre Buisse (Nattfodd), CC BY-SA 3.0

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62. Estimated to 200 BCE to 600 CE as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodization_of_pre-Columbian_Peru ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62 ↩︎
  4. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62 ↩︎
  5. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/100405?ctx=4b5a04a42bb2e1beb986339955f300990aa07639&idx=62 ↩︎

NOW: Chevron patterned hat – 46-77-30/10427

This week’s Nalbound Object of the Week is a striking Peruvian hat worked in Cross-knit Looping in a distinctive chevron pattern. While there are quite a few hats found in Peru, both in Simple Looping and in Cross-knit Looping, this is the first I’ve come across with this Chevron patterning.

Cap, looped, circular. Object number: 46-77-30/10427
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/
Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Object: Chevron patterned hat

Description: A dark brown and tan chevron patterned hat broken into 4 quarters with alternating chevrons. Overall: 16 x 17 cm (6 5/16 x 6 11/16 in.)1

Dated to: Chancay? culture2

Find location: Zapallan, Peru3

Material: camelid4

Stitch(es) used: Z-crossed5 Cross-knit Looping6

Object number: 46-77-30/10427

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72. Chancey culture would put this hat in the Late Intermediate Period, 1000 CE – 1476 CE, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodization_of_pre-Columbian_Peru ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72 ↩︎
  4. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72 ↩︎
  5. As determined from the photograph by Anne Marie Decker ↩︎
  6. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/90463?ctx=3895f836dffa87d819a31a9db21ff30320b3e15c&idx=72 ↩︎

NOW: Border fragment with three figures – 1956.405

The figural work found in the decorative borders made by the Nazca people is stunningly beautiful and detailed. This week’s Nalbound Object of the Week is a beautiful sample of their cross-knit looped borders. This fragment has three very distinct figures. The Art Institute of Chicago’s website has very nice closeups of both sides and a very good zoom function if you’d like to see more.

Nazca. Fragment of a Decorative Border, 100 BCE-200 CE. The Art Institute of Chicago®
CC0 Public Domain

Object: Fragment of a Decorative Border 1956.405

Description: A border fragment with three figures. The figures are about 2.5 inches tall. The piece is 11.4 × 6.7 cm (4 1/2 × 2 5/8 in.)1

Dated to: 100 BCE-200 CE2

Culture: Nazca3

Find location: Possibly Coyungo, Nasca Valley, south coast, Peru4

Material: Cotton (plain woven ground), Camelid wool5

Stitch(es) used: The band’s ground support is plain weave and the extension supports are simple looping. The ground is encased in the decorative cross-knit looping6

Inventory number: 1956.405

Current location: The Art Institute of Chicago®

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/3000/fragment-of-a-decorative-border

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Sawyer, Alan R. Early Nasca Needlework. London: Laurence King Publishing, 1997. pg. 149, fig. 119 and 120 (ill.).

Melo, Alipio, María José Murillo, and Danitza Willka. “The Heartbeat of Andean Weaving,” in On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival, eds. Isaac Facio, Nneka Kai, L Vinebaum, and Anne Wilson, exh. cat. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2025. pg. 164, fig. 3 (ill.).

Photographs (if permissions allow):

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/3000/fragment-of-a-decorative-border ↩︎
  2. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/3000/fragment-of-a-decorative-border ↩︎
  3. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/3000/fragment-of-a-decorative-border ↩︎
  4. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/3000/fragment-of-a-decorative-border ↩︎
  5. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/3000/fragment-of-a-decorative-border ↩︎
  6. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/3000/fragment-of-a-decorative-border ↩︎

NOW: Border of warriors – 1956.1267.3a-h

This week’s Nalbound Object of the Week is a beautiful cross-knit looping example. A border of warriors and their sacrifice, originally intended to be attached to a piece of fabric. If you go to the The Art Institute of Chicago’s website there is a very good zoom function and some close-ups showing the underlying support worked in Simple Looping.

Nazca. Warrior Fragments, 100 BCE-200 CE. The Art Institute of Chicago®
CC0 Public Domain

Object: Border of warriors

Description: A border of warriors and a sacrifice. The figures are about 2.5 inches tall. More details on The Art Institute of Chicago’s website.

Dated to: 100 BCE–200 CE1

Culture: Nazca2

Find location: South coast, Peru3

Material: Cotton (ground), Camelid wool4

Stitch(es) used: Simple Looping for the ground support, cross-knit looping and cross-knit loop stitch embroidery5

Inventory number: 1956.1267.3a-h

Current location: The Art Institute of Chicago®

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/148858/warrior-fragments

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Sawyer, Alan R. Early Nasca Needlework. London: Laurence King Publishing, 1997. pg. 148, color fig. 117.

Photographs (if permissions allow):

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/148858/warrior-fragments ↩︎
  2. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/148858/warrior-fragments ↩︎
  3. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/148858/warrior-fragments ↩︎
  4. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/148858/warrior-fragments ↩︎
  5. The Art Institute of Chicago® https://www.artic.edu/artworks/148858/warrior-fragments ↩︎

NOW: Peruvian Feathered Cap 1994.35.136

The Nalbound Object of the Week this week takes us back to Peru with another Simple Looping cap. However, this one is topped with feathers! With stripes reminiscent of the Omani Sand Socks and feathers like those seen on hats from Cameroon, this 10th-15th century CE Peruvian hat reminds me of both the similarities and differences of nalbinding around the world.

Peruvian Feathered Cap, Accession number 1994.35.136
Photo credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Public Domain

Object: Feathered Cap

Description: A stunning cap worked from the top in alternating three rows of cream camelid yarn with three rows of dark brown yarn. Brown feathers have been attached to the top; splaying in a bouquet like fashion.

Dated to: 900–1470 CE1

Find location: Peru2

Material: Camelid hair and feathers3

Stitch(es) used: Z-crossed Simple Looping (stitch determination by Anne Marie Decker based on photographs)

Accession number: 1994.35.136

Current location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/50009628?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=%2A&what=Feathers&pos=4

Photographs:

Peruvian Feathered Cap, Accession number 1994.35.136
Photo credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Public Domain
Peruvian Feathered Cap, Accession number 1994.35.136
Photo credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Public Domain

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/50009628?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=%2A&what=Feathers&pos=4 Accessed 25 August 2024 ↩︎
  2. https://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/50009628?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=%2A&what=Feathers&pos=4 Accessed 25 August 2024 ↩︎
  3. https://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/50009628?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=%2A&what=Feathers&pos=4 Accessed 25 August 2024 ↩︎

NOW: Inca Wig Cap 1983.491.2

This week’s Nalbound Object of the Week is another Incan wig Cap from Peru. Similar to the cap posted in late July, this is a stunning example with a beautiful set of braid wrapped ends that together make a zigzag pattern.

Cap Woven with Human Hair, 1983.491.2
Photo credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Public Domain

Object: Inca Wig Cap with zigzag braid wraps

Description: A cream colored cap with a broad brown stripe around the middle from which many brown human hair braids are hung. The braid ends are wrapped tightly in brightly colored wraps that form a zigzag pattern across the braids. This cap with braids is 28 inches long.1

Dated to: 14th – 16th century CE, Inca2

Find location: Peru

Material: Camelid & human hair3

Stitch(es) used: Z-crossed Simple Looping (Stitch determination by Anne Marie Decker based on photographs)

Inventory number: 1983.491.2

Current location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314614

Photographs:

A black and white photo of the Cap Woven with Human Hair, 1983.491.2, laid out flat.
Photo credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Public Domain

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314614 Accessed 13 August 2024 ↩︎
  2. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314614 Accessed 13 August 2024 ↩︎
  3. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314614 Accessed 13 August 2024 ↩︎

NOW: Inca Wig Cap 41-52-30/2948

Inca Wig Cap. Object number: 41-52-30/2948
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/
Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Another type of nalbound objects we see quite frequently in museums are wig caps from Inca era Peru. Thus, this week’s Nalbound Object of the Week is an Inca wig cap. The skull cap portion is made using S-crossed Simple Looping.

Object: Inca Wig Cap

Description: A light colored skull cap with a narrower dark brown and a larger brown stripe around it with around 120 braids hanging from the lower edge. These 3 strand braids have multicolored, red, green, blue, white, brown, wrappings on their bottom half. Overall dimensions are 37 x 9 7/16 in. (94 x 24 cm).

Dated to: Late Horizon (1476-1532 CE), Inca1

Find location: South Coast of Nazca Province, Ica Region, Peru2

Material: The cap is made of three colors of z-2s cotton. The braids of dark colored human hair. The wraps around the braids are camelid yarn.3

Stitch(es) used: S-crossed Simple Looping4

Inventory number: Object Number 41-52-30/2948

Current location: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/80239?ctx=ea4365b61d31e770c135b438be9348327e400170&idx=0#

Inca Wig Cap. Object number: 41-52-30/2948
Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. https://peabody.harvard.edu/
Request reproduction rights from https://peabody.harvard.edu/rights-and-reproductions

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.
Patrons on Patreon receive early access previews, occasional extra details, and priority requests.

  1. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/80239?ctx=ea4365b61d31e770c135b438be9348327e400170&idx=0# Accessed 22 July 2024 ↩︎
  2. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/80239?ctx=ea4365b61d31e770c135b438be9348327e400170&idx=0# Accessed 22 July 2024 ↩︎
  3. https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/80239?ctx=ea4365b61d31e770c135b438be9348327e400170&idx=0# Accessed 22 July 2024 ↩︎
  4. Peabody Museum identifies this as Simple Looping https://collections.peabody.harvard.edu/objects/details/80239?ctx=ea4365b61d31e770c135b438be9348327e400170&idx=0# Accessed 22 July 2024. That the Simple Looping is S-crossed was determined by Anne Marie Decker based on the photograph provided. ↩︎

NOW: Nazca band with Birds & Flowers Am1931,1123.21.a

The Nazca were masters of figural nalbinding. Today’s Nalbound Object of the Week is a fragment of a brightly colored band with birds alternating with flowers coming out of it and flowers growing out of both sides as well. I had the honor of examining this one in person in October of 2019.

Am1931,1123.21.a is fragmentary. We don’t know the full extent of the original piece.
© The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Object: Band with Birds & many Flowers

Description: Starting with a red band worked in the round that is approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, with the tails and wings of the bird integral on both sides, the breast, head, and beaks of the birds are worked out of the center of one side. There is a flower worked out of the center of the band for each bird to sip from between each bird. Flowers also extend from both sides of the band making the total width just under 3 inches (just under 8 cm) on average. Putting the pieces together, I measured the central band as 37 cm long.1

Dated to: 100-400 CE2

Find location: Nazca, Peru3

Material: 2 ply Z-spun S-plied Camelid wool.4 Further investigation may reveal that some of the yarns or plies of yarns come from other sources as they do not have the same texture as the majority.

Stitch(es) used: Z-crossed Cross-knit Looping5 (specific crossing determined by Anne Marie Decker during examination in October 2019)

Gauge: Approximately 19 stitches to the inch and 28 rows to the inch (approx 8 stitches and 11 rows per cm)

Inventory number: Am1931,1123.21.a

Current location: The British Museum Textile Centre

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Am1931-1123-21-a

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Pardo, Cecilia and Jago Cooper, ed. Peru: A Journey in Time. British Museum 2021. ISBN 9780714124926. Pgs. 92-93.

Photographs (if permissions allow):

This is a zoomed in and cropped version of the British Museum’s image of Am1931,1123.21.a showing one of the birds on the band and associated flowers.
The British Museum’s online catalog has a beautiful zoom function. Go to the site to see more details.
© The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
The fragment in the British Museum may have been part of a larger piece similar to this 2nd century BCE Nazca Border Fragment 
Accession Number: 31.20.1
Photo credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Public Domain

Please note that sharing to other venues will likely be intermittent. If you wish to receive these each week, please remember to follow the blog.

  1. Length: 8 centimetres Width: 39 centimetres according to https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Am1931-1123-21-a Accessed 14 June 2024 ↩︎
  2. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Am1931-1123-21-a Accessed 14 June 2024 ↩︎
  3. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Am1931-1123-21-a Accessed 14 June 2024 ↩︎
  4. Plies determined by Anne Marie Decker during October 2019 examination. Camelid wool according to https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Am1931-1123-21-a Accessed 14 June 2024 ↩︎
  5. Cross-knit Loop stitch according to https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Am1931-1123-21-a Accessed 14 June 2024 ↩︎