Miniature Dress

Colorful bird feathers were highly prized items in ancient Peru and textiles covered with them are among the most spectacular and luxurious works made in the Precolumbian world. This miniature feathered dress was part of a large group of similar garments reportedly found in an offering at Ullujaya in the lower Ica Valley in southern Peru. The miniatures are one-fourth to one-third the size of full-sized garments. Since their manufacture follows the conventions used for full-sized male and female garments, technical, constructional, and patterning features allow the distinction between women's dresses or men's tunics to be seen. The women's dresses in the group have a stepped triangle design on the front, as seen here. The feather work on the backs is usually a single color or striped. The horizontal openings for head and arms are along the seam at the top. However, since the openings are sewn closed, the miniature dresses were not actual garments that could have been put on statues with arms. The use of such miniature garments in ancient Andean cultures is unclear; they may have been symbolic substitutions in votive contexts.

Feathered textiles were made by specialists. The feathers were tied onto long strings, which in turn were sewn to the plain cotton cloth. The feather tips are often clipped to create sharp outlines, as on this example. The red feathers are from the Scarlet Macaw, the blue and yellow feathers are from the Blue and Yellow Macaw, and the green from the Amazon Parrot. The black feathers may be from the Muscovy duck and the orange from flamingos.

References and Further Reading

King, Heidi. “Radiance from the Rainforest: Featherwork from Ancient Peru.” Hali: Carpet, Textile and Islamic Art (2008) 156:84-89.

King, Heidi. Peruvian Featherworks. Art of the Precolumbian Era. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2012.

Reid, James. Magic Feathers: Textile Art from Ancient Peru. London: Textile & Art Publication. 2005.

Rowe, Ann P., Mary Frame, William J. Conklin, and Anita G. Cook. “Miniature Feather Tunic.” In Andean Art at Dumbarton Oaks, edited by Elizabeth Hill Boone, Vol. 2, pp. 419-23. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1996.