Materials
The fleece of the alpaca [1] was the primary source of wool for Peruvian textiles and was used for the finest work. It held the brilliant designs far better than cotton, though cotton was also used and cotton and wool were sometimes combined in the same cloth. Also used was the wool of the llama, the camel and the finer and silkier wool of the wild vicuna.
The ancient Peruvians used paint to colour textiles, ceramics and their own bodies. Hand painting a textile [2] was faster and cheaper than weaving a design and may have begun to be more widely used on textiles when ancient Peruvian societies could no longer support the high expenditure of time and resources taken up by producing fine embroideries such as [3].
The ancient Peruvians used paint to colour textiles, ceramics and their own bodies. Hand painting a textile [2] was faster and cheaper than weaving a design and may have begun to be more widely used on textiles when ancient Peruvian societies could no longer support the high expenditure of time and resources taken up by producing fine embroideries such as [3].
A detail of a painted strip of plain weave white cotton cloth. Four complete stylised human figures are painted in red and orange on a dark brown background and are outlined by the natural white of the cloth. The figures have elaborate ear-pieces and crescent shaped headdresses. The complete textile measures 161 cm x 64 cm. 1967.233.
