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Radiance from the Rain Forest: Featherwork in Ancient Peru
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Ceremonial Cloth
Chimú 14th–15th century
Cotton, wood, feathers; 12 x 12 in. (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Reportedly found in a tomb at Caqui, Chancay Valley, central coast
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Jane Costello Goldberg, from the Collection of Arnold I. Goldberg, 1986 (1987.394.656)
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It is said that this cloth was found with the crown and a number of silver miniatures in a tomb in the Chancay Valley. Several similar ritual cloths exist; their use in ancient times is not known. It is possible that the cloth served as a mesa, or table, on which the precious silver offerings found with it—among them, musical instruments, vessels, and implements—were displayed before burial. The border surrounding the cloth is of Blue-and-yellow Macaw feathers. Particular care was taken in working the corner tassels, which consist of wooden cores covered with tiny purple, chartreuse, and red feathers probably of the Paradise Tanager.
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