1 of 3

Object Label

The Inca considered textiles to be more valuable than gold and used them as symbols of power and authority. Rulers wore the finest tapestry-woven tunics, referred to as cumbi in the Quechua language. The geometric designs on this tunic, as well as the fineness of the weave, indicate an elite wearer. The unusual alpaca-hair fringe was likely added later, perhaps during the colonial period (1532–1821).
___________

Los incas consideraban que los textiles eran más valiosos que el oro y los usaban como símbolos de poder y autoridad. Los gobernantes llevaban las más exquisitas túnicas en técnica del tapiz, llamadas cumbi en la lengua quechua. Los diseños geométricos de esta túnica, así como la finura del tejido, indican que se trata de una prenda para la élite. El inusual flequillo de pelo de alpaca fue probablemente añadido posteriormente, acaso durante la época colonial (1532–1821).

Caption

Inca. Tunic or Unku, 1400–1532. Camelid fiber, vincuna fringe, 35 7/16 x 31 1/8 in. (90 x 79 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 41.1275.106. Creative Commons-BY

Gallery

Not on view

Culture

Inca

Title

Tunic or Unku

Date

1400–1532

Period

Middle Horizon Period

Medium

Camelid fiber, vincuna fringe

Classification

Textile

Dimensions

35 7/16 x 31 1/8 in. (90 x 79 cm)

Credit Line

Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund

Accession Number

41.1275.106

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

Have information?

Have information about an artwork? Contact us at

bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.