Paracas burial mantle.About the Artwork This burial mantle is only one portion of the vast amount of fabric that formed a "mummy bundle." Although the fabric is almost 2000 years old, it is very much intact, preserved by the dry desert sands of coastal Peru. Like the funeral arts of other ancient cultures explored in School Arts magazine this year (China, Egypt), the skilled artistry of the burial mantle is a testimony to the status of the deceased person. About the Culture The Paracas culture flourished from 200 BC to AD 200 along the river valleys in coastal Peru. Herders raised llamas and alpacas in the higher elevations, while farmers raised maize, cocoa, potatoes and quinoa quinoa (kēnwä`), tall annual herb (Chenopodium quinoa) of the family Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot family), whose seeds have provided a staple food for peoples of the higher Andes since pre-Columbian times. (a barley-like grain) in the lower elevations. The Paracas left no monumental buildings. Their textiles were their chief cultural expression. The tradition of ancestor veneration is shown by the funeral practices with offerings of food, and clothing. The corpse, buried in a sitting position, wrapped in layers of embroidered em·broi·der v. em·broi·dered, em·broi·der·ing, em·broi·ders v.tr. 1. To ornament with needlework: embroider a pillow cover. 2. clothing, cloth, and leaves is called a "mummy bundle." Textile Art How significant was textile art? Consider how a weaver was sent into the afterlife: "Careful burial of the weaver's implements acknowledges the many people (from herders to weavers) and many skills (from dyeing to spinning) involved in accomplishing a masterpiece in fiber." (Stone-Miller, p. 68) Block color embroidery such as that done in this burial mantle required a team of artisans. A master designer created the layout and color combinations, expert embroiderers stitched the outlines of the design, and less-skilled embroiderers filled in the outlines with colored thread. The embroidery "subjects" might include fish, fowl, mammals, people, or supernatural beings. A Closer Look This burial mantle is "The most celebrated of all the museum's Andean textiles" according to Stone-Miller (p. 79). The embroidered figure, replicated many times, is a ritual figure known as a "bird impersonator." This figure wears an elaborate headdress with a gold band, a mask, a loincloth loin·cloth n. A strip of cloth worn around the loins. loincloth Noun a piece of cloth covering only the loins Noun 1. , and a feathered cape. It is worth noting that because exotic bird feathers were less common than gold, feather capes were far more valuable than gold! In his hands, the bird impersonator holds a snake-headed baton and a trophy head. "Sacrifice by decapitation Decapitation See also Headlessness. Antoinette, Marie (1755–1793) queen of France beheaded by revolutionists. [Fr. Hist.: NCE, 1697] Argos lulled to sleep and beheaded by Hermes. [Gk. Myth. was practiced by many Andean cultures. The deified de·i·fy tr.v. dei·fied, dei·fy·ing, dei·fies 1. To make a god of; raise to the condition of a god. 2. To worship or revere as a god: deify a leader. 3. forces of nature were nourished and assuaged by the offering of human life, and heads were likened to seeds or fruit." (Young-Sanchez, p. 59) These small embroidered figures tell us volumes about the cultures they represent. * Can you find the bird impersonator's headdress and feather cape? * Can you find the snake staff and trophy head? * Do these objects seem realistically depicted to you? * Can you describe the kinds of stitches used in this embroidery? * Why do you think textile arts were the chief form of artistic expression in the Paracas culture? Classroom Activities Judith King, manager of School and Teacher Partnerships, and Sharen Bowden, Educators Advisory Committee member. Elementary School Ask students to bring in examples of needlework needlework, work done with a needle, either plain sewing, mending, or ornamental work such as embroidery, quilting, smocking, hemstitching, fagoting, some kinds of lace making (see lace), patchwork, and appliqué. or textiles from home (cross-stitch, needlepoint needlepoint: see lace. needlepoint Type of embroidery in which the stitches are counted and worked with a needle over the threads, or mesh, of a canvas foundation. It was known as canvas work until the early 19th century. , samplers, kente ken·te n. 1. A brightly patterned, handwoven ceremonial cloth of the Ashanti. 2. A durable machine-woven fabric similar to this fabric, prominently featured in Afrocentric fashion. cloth, etc.). Ask each student to share the history and significance of her of his object. Discuss the larger topic of art as a way of remembering personally important events or people. Give students an opportunity to explore the weaving process by making pot holders or using cardboard looms and yarn. Middle School Divide the class into design teams. Ask all teams to design a commemorative wall hanging on a piece of brown kraft paper 36 x 96" (approximately the size of the original object). After the team sketches the design, have students "embroider em·broi·der v. em·broi·dered, em·broi·der·ing, em·broi·ders v.tr. 1. To ornament with needlework: embroider a pillow cover. 2. " it by piercing the paper and threading colored yard through the paper to create the design. Discuss the process of collaboration, symbolism chosen, and the limits of the materials used as teams present their hangings to the class. High School Divide the class into design teams. Ask each team to develop an interpretive statement about the burial mantle. Have each student make a detailed sketch of the burial mantle. Provide each team with burlap or coarse linen (a 12" square of larger), crewel crew·el n. Loosely twisted worsted yarn used for fancywork and embroidery. [Middle English crule. yarn, and needles. Ask the team to produce an enlarged "detail" of the burial mantle. Arrange an in-class exhibition of the works, including team statements about the nature of the media and the challenges/constraints imposed by it. Sources Kendall, Santra, The Incas, New Discovery Books. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., 1992. Stone-Miller, Rebecca, To Weave for the Sun Ancient Andean Textiles in the Museum of Fine Arts Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, chartered and incorporated (1870) after a decision by the Boston Athenaeum, Harvard, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pool their collections of art objects and house them in adequate public galleries. . New York: Thames and Hudson, 1994. Boston. Young-Sanchez, Margaret, Pre-Columbian Art in the Denver Art Museum The Denver Art Museum is an art museum in Denver, Colorado located in Denver's Civic Center. It is known for its collection of American Indian art, and has a comprehensive collection numbering more than 55,000 works from across the world. Collection. Denver Art Museum, 2003. Judith King, Manager of School and Teacher Partnerships, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, and contains one of the largest permanent museum collections in the Americas. |
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