Category: Human Hair

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. ↩︎