DISCOVERART

Chimú

Panel

1250/1470
Cotton and camelid wool, slit tapestry weave with eccentric wefts
57.5 × 54.3 cm (22.6 × 21.4 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Chimú artists commonly repeated abstract motifs in a regular pattern, as seen here in the arrangement of zoomorphic figures within three rows of squares bordered with motifs that suggest waves and stepped triangles. Some of the animal forms on the panel resemble splayed frogs; others resist identification. The staffs held by these creatures may connect them to the humanlike ones that frequently appear in Chimú textiles, such as this loincloth also in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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