Border Fragment
Paracas
-100–200
- Medium
- Cotton, plain weave; embroidered with wool (camelid) in stem stitches
- Dimensions
- 39.4 × 20.3 cm (15 1/2 × 8 in.)
- Genre
- textile
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
americassuper/naturalparacasandeanearly intermediate periodearly horizonperuvianneedlework (visual works)Pre-ColumbianandesTextileparacas necropolis
About
The distinctive stylized figure depicted on this fragment has wide eyes and an upturned mouth, with streamers or appendages trailing from its body. Scholars have named this figure the “oculate being” because of its wide eyes. However, it remains a matter of debate whether the figure represents a particular supernatural entity or a stylized figural representation.
