Headband
Unknown Artist
7th–10th century
Medium
Cotton, camelid hair
Dimensions
H. 4 1/2 × Diam. 5 3/4 in. (11.4 × 14.6 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
Wari
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Arthur M. Bullowa, 1993
Accession Number
1994.35.111
Art Historical Context
This exquisite headband, crafted by an unknown Wari artist between the 7th and 10th centuries, exemplifies the mastery of Andean textile weaving during the height of the Wari empire in ancient Peru. Made from finely spun cotton and luxurious camelid hair—likely from alpacas or vicuñas—the circular band measures just 4½ inches high and 5¾ inches in diameter, designed to encircle the forehead as part of elite regalia. Wari textiles were not mere adornments but powerful symbols of status, cosmology, and cultural identity, often worn by rulers or priests in rituals. The Wari, a pre-Inca civilizat...