Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 5
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 9
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 10
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 11
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 5
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 9
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 10
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 11
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus
Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 5 Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus - Art for Eternity Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 9 Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 10 Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus, view 11

Inca Checkerboard Textile Panel with Tocapus

16317

$12,500
/
Shipping calculated at checkout.
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Southern Highlands, Ca. 1400 to 1532 AD

A large and vibrant surviving panel, probably from a tunic.   The rhythmic checkered patterns and tocapu stars were believed to represent the structure and order of the Inca Empire. The checkerboard pattern symbolized the division of the empire into four quadrants, while the tocapu stars represented the sun, a central deity in Inca cosmology.    The textiles were considered sacred and believed to have a connection to the divine. They were often used in religious ceremonies and rituals, and some were even buried with the deceased as offerings to the gods.
 This tocapu eight-pointed star motif, also known as the "Inca cross," was a powerful symbol of the sun and the Inca Empire. It represented the four cardinal directions, the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water), and the four levels of the cosmos (heaven, earth, underworld, and the Milky Way).    The checkered pattern, often combined with the tocapu star motif, symbolized the orderly and structured nature of the Inca society. It represented the division of labor, the social hierarchy, and the balance between the natural and spiritual worlds

Size 22 inches s w x 40 inches L.;  Dims  29 in x 47.5 in H in matted and giltwood framed.  A nice clean example with some squares compromised but overall a clean textile.

Provenance: Ex David E private collection 1980s-1990s, USA collection

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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