GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The standardization of design and regional production that distinguish Inca art from preceding Andean cultures can be seen foremost in the fine tapestry-woven textiles, or cumbi (qompi), exclusive to Inca nobles. Woven by specialists, cumbi have a high thread count generally composed of alpaca or vicuña fiber, two of the four native camelid species.
The most impressive Inca garment type is the man’s knee-length tunic, or uncu (unku). Produced in standardized designs, the bold black-and-white checkerboard pattern with a stepped red yoke is especially dramatic. The white and black colors reflect natural camelid fiber, although near-black squares also may be produced through deep indigo dyes. The red likely derives from the ruby color of cochineal, an insect that lives on prickly pear cacti. The fiber and dye, as well as weaving expenditures, on these standardized tunics support a clear affiliation with noble status. Sixteenth-century Spanish chroniclers described Inca army officials as wearing tunics with a chessboard pattern, perhaps suggesting that this common standardized tunic design had high-ranking military associations.
Adapted from
Kimberly L. Jones, PhD, Inca: Conquests of the Andes / Los Incas y las conquistas de los Andes, Label text, 2015.
NOTES
- Currently not on view.
- Inka (Inca), Late Horizon, A.D. 1476-1534, updated by KJones in TMS on 10/15/13, 01/03/14, 06/19/14, and 01/25/16.
- Updated geography and dates in TMS to reflect Inca label -- Perú: Andean highlands, A.D. 1400–1540.
Catalogue essays
- An Inca Tunic
- McDermott Art Fund
- Textiles at the Dallas Museum of Art
- Textile Production in the Andes
- Andean Orthography
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From at least 1950-1970: Swiss private collection [1]
Until 1995: David Lantz, New York, purchased from the above [1]
From 1995: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc. in honor of Carol Robbins, purchased from the above [1], [2]
[1] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Proposal (dated 1995, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] Works of art given or purchased by The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization, are placed in the custody of the DMA for the purpose of public display on the premises of the Museum or in other recognized art galleries or museum. The title to all works of art purchased (or otherwise acquired) by the McDermott Art Fund remains with the Fund.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
XXXXX: UMO. [Caption] A drawing by Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala from his 1615 Chronicle depicts a warrior wearing a checkerboard tunic. Source: Carol Robbins, “An Inca Tunic,” in Dallas Museum of Art, 100 Years, ed. Dorothy M. Kosinski (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 2003), Pamphlet number 76.
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
- Title: Exhibition - Publications Department. ID: 02/04. Box 16: Centennial Publication, Box 1. Folder 72: 72. Inca - Tunic: Checkerboard Pattern With Stepped Yoke (1995.32.MCD) - Carol Robbins.
- Title: Exhibition - Publications Department. ID: 02/04. Box 18: Centennial Publication, Box 3. Folder 74: 72. Inca - Tunic: Checkerboard Pattern With Stepped Yoke (1995.32.MCD).
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Apply to objects where number equals 1995.32.McD
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General Description
The standardization of design and regional production that distinguish Inca art from preceding Andean cultures can be seen foremost in the fine tapestry-woven textiles, or cumbi (qompi), exclusive to Inca nobles. Woven by specialists, cumbi have a high thread count generally composed of alpaca or vicuña fiber, two of the four native camelid species.
The most impressive Inca garment type is the man’s knee-length tunic, or uncu (unku). Produced in standardized designs, the bold black-and-white checkerboard pattern with a stepped red yoke is especially dramatic. The white and black colors reflect natural camelid fiber, although near-black squares also may be produced through deep indigo dyes. The red likely derives from the ruby color of cochineal, an insect that lives on prickly pear cacti. The fiber and dye, as well as weaving expenditures, on these standardized tunics support a clear affiliation with noble status. Sixteenth-century Spanish chroniclers described Inca army officials as wearing tunics with a chessboard pattern, perhaps suggesting that this common standardized tunic design had high-ranking military associations.
Adapted from
Kimberly L. Jones, PhD, Inca: Conquests of the Andes / Los Incas y las conquistas de los Andes, Label text, 2015.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
- Title: Exhibition - Publications Department. ID: 02/04. Box 16: Centennial Publication, Box 1. Folder 72: 72. Inca - Tunic: Checkerboard Pattern With Stepped Yoke (1995.32.MCD) - Carol Robbins.
- Title: Exhibition - Publications Department. ID: 02/04. Box 18: Centennial Publication, Box 3. Folder 74: 72. Inca - Tunic: Checkerboard Pattern With Stepped Yoke (1995.32.MCD).
Web Resources
Notes
- Currently not on view.
- Inka (Inca), Late Horizon, A.D. 1476-1534, updated by KJones in TMS on 10/15/13, 01/03/14, 06/19/14, and 01/25/16.
- Updated geography and dates in TMS to reflect Inca label -- Perú: Andean highlands, A.D. 1400–1540.
Catalogue essays
- An Inca Tunic
- McDermott Art Fund
- Textiles at the Dallas Museum of Art
- Textile Production in the Andes
- Andean Orthography
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From at least 1950-1970: Swiss private collection [1]
Until 1995: David Lantz, New York, purchased from the above [1]
From 1995: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc. in honor of Carol Robbins, purchased from the above [1], [2]
[1] The main source for this provenance is Acquisition Proposal (dated 1995, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[2] Works of art given or purchased by The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization, are placed in the custody of the DMA for the purpose of public display on the premises of the Museum or in other recognized art galleries or museum. The title to all works of art purchased (or otherwise acquired) by the McDermott Art Fund remains with the Fund.
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