LARGE HUARI CUSHMA TEXTILE
PERU, C. 800 A.D.
Estimate: £12,000 - £14,000
Auction: 13 March 2025 from 13:00 GMT
Description
dyed camelid wool, flatweave, the border features a repeating stepped motif, while the central field is composed of a symmetrically divided rectangle in vibrant orange and deep red tones, presented on a modern backing
Dimensions
155 x 251cm
Provenance
Published:
Our North is the South, Bergamin & Gomide, Sao Paulo, 2021. p. 86
Confluences in Art, Paul Hughes Fine Arts, London. 2019. Page. 51
Footnote
Between 600 and 1000 A.D., the Huari established a vast empire that spanned much of modern-day Peru. Emerging from interactions between the Huarpa people of the central highlands and the Nasca culture of the South Coast, the Huari Empire connected diverse regions, societies, and artistic traditions. To sustain their rule, Huari administrators set up outposts in distant areas, ranging from coastal deserts to tropical rainforests. These strategic locations provided access to valuable resources like cotton, spondylus shells, and tropical bird feathers. The Huari laid important groundwork for the later Inca Empire, contributing innovations such as the khipu (a knotted string recording system) and an extensive road network that would prove essential for Inca governance centuries later.
Over their four centuries of influence, Huari artists developed an unparalleled artistic tradition characterised by remarkable creativity and variety that reflected their diverse empire. Alongside portable objects like vibrantly painted ceramics and small effigies carved from wood, stone, or metal, Huari art often took the form of wearable items. High-ranking Huari figures were depicted adorned in richly patterned woven garments, ornate headdresses, metal jewellery, mosaic earspools, and intricate facial paint.
Though Huari textiles are celebrated for their growing intricacy, the present example reflects a more restrained geometric design, likely influenced by Nasca styles from the far south. Among the diverse array of geometric motifs in Huari iconography appearing in both ceramics and textiles, the stepped symbol shown here stands out as one of the most enduring and remarkable. The present piece displays a meditative quality and a profound engagement with the interplay of space, form and emotion.