Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 2
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 3
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 4
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 5
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 6
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 7
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 2
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 3
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 4
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 5
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 6
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 7
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows
Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 2 Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 3 Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 4 Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 5 Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 6 Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows, view 7

Chimú Textile Panel with Stepped Bird Rows

17639

$1,800
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Peru, Late Intermediate Period  900–1470 A.D

Vibrant Chimú textile fragment from Peru’s north coast, woven in dense tapestry technique with repeating rows of highly stylized birds arranged in stepped blocks. The design features horizontal bands of small profile birds in yellow, black, and deep blue on a rich red ground, each bird schematized into a beaked head, squared body, and short tail; the upper bands rise into dramatic stepped “tower” forms that echo Chimú architectural silhouettes.

The textile itself measures approximately 16 inches wide by 15 1/4 inches high (40.6 × 38.7 cm) and is hand‑stitched to a neutral ribbed fabric mount on a wooden stretcher. Overall size with stretcher is about 18 × 18 inches (45.7 × 45.7 cm), presenting the fragment as a ready‑to‑hang wall piece.

Condition is excellent for Late Intermediate Period Chimú cloth, with minor losses and old repairs along the lower band and within some stepped sections, but color saturation remains strong and the bird imagery reads clearly. This piece is probably from the decorated front flap of a man’s loincloth or related ceremonial garment.

Chimú weavers are renowned for their intricate bird imagery, reflecting the importance of coastal seabirds and waterfowl in the art and religion of the Kingdom of Chimor (ca. 900–1470 A.D.). The stacked, almost pixelated birds on this panel closely parallel bird motifs seen on museum examples and on metal ornaments and feathered garments from the same culture.
Provenance Bettina Schwimmer,  Lakeview, Chicago IL 

 

Every object is guaranteed authentic and as described, and has been legally acquired and imported in accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations on the movement and sale of antiquities. A signed certificate of authenticity with a description and photograph accompanies this object. Any restoration is described on the invoice.

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