
Sampler
<p>Images of birds are often presented in polychrome ceramics and textiles created by Nazca artists. the birds depicted in this panel are delicately rendered in white outlining and colored highlights, with embroidery reminiscent of earlier Paracas needlework. In their beaks, they carry various flora along with crustaceans, fish, insects, snakes, spiders, and worms. The design may have deeper meaning, using the food chain as a metaphor for transformation. There is a group of several similar examples of embroidered birds of Nazca origin, often referred to as samplers. Some scholars theorize that these works relate to a specific workshop or are evidence of strict guidelines and regulations for production.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1
- Dimensions
- 60 × 37.8 cm (23 5/8 × 14 7/8 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Nasca
Artist
More
More by Nasca
Balance-Beam Scale with Incised Circles in Paddle-like Design
1000 · Bone
Fragment
1000
Tunic
800 · Camelid wool, plain weave; embroidered in double-faced stem stitches
Panel (Probably from a Mantle)
800 · Cotton and wool (camelid), tubular plain weave double cloth with stripes of four-color complementary warp weave; plied warp fringe
Fragment with Step-Fret Design
800 · Cotton; plain weave with supplementary brocading warps and wefts
Tunic
800
Record
Verified by WattsOSSource
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified






