Funerary mantle element decorated with a stylized figure - Lot 110

Funerary mantle element decorated with a stylized figure Nazca culture, southern Peru, 200-600 A.D. Woven wool and cotton, predominantly red, black and yellow ochre 73.5 x 125 cm Provenance : - Alvaro Guillot Muñoz Collection, before 1971 - Galerie Johann Levy, Paris, 2000 - Barbier-Mueller Collection, Geneva,Inv. n° 532-83 Bibliography : - Jean-Paul Barbier-Mueller, Civilisations disparues, 2000, p. 333 - Jean-Paul Barbier-Mueller, "Confidentiellement vôtre", in Arts & Cultures, 2003. p. 260 - Trésors de la céramique précolombienne, Museo Barbier-Mueller de Arte Precolombino de Barcelona, 2003, fig, 57, p. 64 - La Collection Barbier-Mueller, Art Précolombien, Vol. II, p. 136, fig. 281 "The pre-Hispanic art of Peru gave a very privileged place to textiles. This is due to the fact that the ancient Peruvians very quickly had excellent raw materials at their disposal: cotton produced plant fibers in a variety of natural colors, and wool came from the fleece of llamas and alpacas. From the earliest prehistoric times, fabrics became works of art, far exceeding their mere role as clothing, and were associated with signs of power and wealth, being reserved for the civil, political and religious elites of Andean society. In a world where money was no object, these highly prized manufactured goods served as gifts, barter objects and offerings to dignitaries and deities. Fabrics played a prominent role in most pre-Hispanic civilizations, serving not only to clothe the noble and powerful, but also to decorate the most important places. They also had a remarkable funerary use, as witnessed by the "fardos", mummies wrapped in multiple pieces of fabric, some of which are large and represent thousands of hours of work." Jean-Francois Bouchard