Two Textile Fragment with Fanged Heads

Description

These two rare fragments of equal size and mounted side by side feature fanged heads connected by a fanged mouth band. Each band ascends as a column above a rectangular, disembodied eye that implies the original presence of large figures or heads beneath the bands. Fanged heads are common markers of the supernatural in Chavín art, an early style that developed in the highlands of Peru. The original textile may have served as a ceremonial wall hanging.

Provenance

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Two Textile Fragment with Fanged Heads

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500–200 BCE

Accession Number

1985.139

Medium

cotton: plain weave patterned by fiber-wrapped warps and supplementary wefts

Dimensions

Overall: 112 x 61.2 cm (44 1/8 x 24 1/8 in.); Mounted: 123.8 x 72.4 cm (48 3/4 x 28 1/2 in.)

Classification

Textile

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund