Textile Fragments

Description

These fragments are rare survivors of catastrophic rains that destroyed much of the Moche textile legacy and may have helped to bring about the decline of Moche culture. Each depicts a serpent and a snail beneath a hovering raptorial bird—perhaps a snail kite, a type of hawk named after its favored food. The size of the motifs implies that the original textile was large; a mantle (a shawl-like garment) or a hanging are among the possibilities.

Provenance

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Textile Fragments

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c. 50–650 CE

Accession Number

2007.2

Medium

cotton and camelid fiber

Dimensions

Overall: 40 x 25.4 cm (15 3/4 x 10 in.)

Classification

Textile

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund