Page 600 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

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MANTLE

before 1470
Chimu
painted cotton
180 x 191 (70% x 75Vsj
American Museum of Natural History, New York

On this mantle stylized felines alternate with a
geometric variant of the step-fret motif that is
common in art throughout the Andes. Each
repeat of the two motifs is varied. Sometimes an
apparent crescent moon is included in a corner of
the square; some cats are clawed, some are not.
The design presents a dynamic alternation of
curving shapes with angular ones.
Felines are generally prominent subjects in pre-
Columbian art and myth. The puma (mountain
lion) was common in the Andes and the jaguar
inhabited the Amazon Basin beyond. The spots on
the feline on this textile from the central coast of
Peru indicate that a jaguar inspired the motif.
The cloth is plain weave with paired warps;
overcasting stitches join three loom products. E. p. B.
THE AMERICAS 599