Group of Ancient South American Textiles. Provenance: ex Jean Lions Collection, Geneva, Switzerland (1951-1980). Including: 1) 3 "Badges" Nazca Wari culture. Very rare dense Nazca alpaca embroidery on cotton base fabric with two profile kneeling staff bearing feline/bird messengers like the Gate of the sun at Tiahuanaco and one profile stylized head; 2) 4 Fragments Nazca and Wari cultures, Complete but enigmatic Nazca fringed tassel; a short segment of a tapestry wari headband; very fine fragment of a late coastal Wari mantle and a long piece of red and gold fringe from the inca; 3) Mantle corner, Chancay Culture,. Relic of Wari design, the mantles of late coastal region had decorative corner weaving. 4) Mantle corner, Chancay Culture, . Complemental weft and tapestry finish for an elite mantle, this depiction shows male deer, a sacred creature for centuries in the Andes, depicted in a serial stairstep array. 5) 4 Selvedged badges, Chuquibamba culture, Densely woven in characteristic supplemental warp technique, these rare appliques were used in a unknown fashion, though possibly incorporated into a plain weave brown textile as thread fragments indicate. Dense and highly stylized profile standing birds are shown in diagonal array; 6) 3 Fragments, Wari and Chimu, Red Chimu tassel with 2 brittle pieces of a Wari headband. Provenance: ex Jean Lions Collection, Geneva, Switzerland (1951-1980). Ranging in Size from: 5'' x 2'' (13 x 5 cm) to 9.5'' x 5'' (24 x 13 cm).

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