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Object Label

The Chimú kingdom, which dominated the northern and central coasts of present-day Peru from 1100 to 1470, produced a variety of high-status feathered garments and ornaments for the ruling elite, such as tabards (tunics open at the sides), pectorals, ear ornaments, and headdresses. The large quantity of feathered regalia indicates an active trading network with the distant tropical lowlands to make exotic feathers more readily available to skilled Chimú artisans.

Feathers were sewn or adhered to a woven cotton cloth that was then attached to a reed foundation. The checkerboard pattern, surrounding stepped-fret motifs, and abstracted human figures are classic Chimú designs.

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El reino Chimú, que dominó las partes norte y central de las costas del Perú moderno de 1100 a 1470, produjo una variedad de prendas de vestir con plumas de alto estatus para la élite dirigente, tales como tabardos (túnicas abiertas a los lados), pectorales, adornos para las orejas y tocados. La gran cantidad de vestimentas con plumas, indica había una activa red comercial con las distantes llanuras tropicales, con el fin de facilitar el acceso a plumas exóticas para los altamente cualificados artesanos Chimú.

Las plumas eran cosidas o adheridas a un pedazo de tela tejida de algodón, que luego era adherido a la base de junco. El diseño en forma de tablero de ajedrez, los motivos de greca escalonada alrededor y las figuras humanas en abstracción son diseños clásicos Chimú.

Caption

Chimú. Headdress, 1100–1470 C.E.. Cotton, hide, feathers, wood or reed, 5 1/8 x 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 in. (13 x 21 x 21 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, 61.11a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 61.11_PS2.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Culture

Chimú

Title

Headdress

Date

1100–1470 C.E.

Period

Late Intermediate Period

Geography

Place made: North or Central Coast, Peru

Medium

Cotton, hide, feathers, wood or reed

Classification

Clothing

Dimensions

5 1/8 x 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 in. (13 x 21 x 21 cm)

Credit Line

Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund

Accession Number

61.11a-b

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.

Frequent Art Questions

  • Can you tell me about this?

    This headdress represents a fascinating art form common to a few Andean cultures: featherwork. It also illustrates the commonalities of iconography across artforms. The checkerboard pattern, stepped-fret motifs, and abstracted human figures can be seen on Chimu textiles as well!

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