- Title
- Headband
- Culture
- Wari
- Date Made
- 600-850
- Medium
- Camelid fiber and cotton, interlocked tapestry, double weave
- Dimensions
- Height: 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm)
Overall (Diameter): 6 in. (15.24 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.74.151.17
- Collecting Area
- Costume and Textiles
- Curatorial Notes
In this headband, the weaver has gone to the heart of abstraction, distilling the essence of an object and expanding upon it until a new and broader type of imagery is achieved. What seems initially to be merely a block pattern of concentric squares can instead be recognized as the fundamental attributes of the Staff Bearer: a head in headdress, a body, two chevron-shaped arms holding vertical staffs, and two three-toed feet. Once the viewer detects the symmetry of the figure, whether upright or upside-down, the code can be deciphered and the image of the Staff Bearer is clear. With abstraction, the artist has converted a field of pattern into a subtle vehicle for iconographic display.
Nicole LaBouff via Kaye Spilker
2009
