Fragment from the Topacu Waistband of a Tunic (Uncu)
1550-1625
Medium
Cotton and wool (camelid), single interlocking tapestry weave with eccentric wefts
Dimensions
25.1 × 43.4 cm (9 7/8 × 17 1/8 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
12830
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This textile was cut from the waist area of an Inca or Indigenous man’s tunic, called an uncu in Quechua. It was woven during the Spanish colonial period and features five rows of rectangular tocapu motifs. During the Inca Empire, these designs could only be woven for the Sapa Inca, or emperor, who alone granted permission to wear them. These sumptuary laws were later ignored, however, and tocapu clothing became a way for Indigenous elites to display their wealth. This tunic shoulder fragment i...
About the Artist
Inca
Inca artists, operating anonymously within the vast Inca Empire from approximately 1425 to 1532 CE, were masterful creators whose works symbolized imperial power and unity across the Andes. Thriving in the heart of Cuzco, the empire's capital, these skilled artisans—men and women alike—produced textiles, ceramics, and metalwork that served both practical and ceremonial purposes. Gifted craftspeopl...