Lot Essay
The present lot was most likely woven during the Late Horizon period (1476-1524) when the Incas ruled this area. The complex geometric design within squares is fairly characteristic of textiles woven during this period, however, the present design is not as developed and figural as the more commonly found Late Horizon textiles (see Stone-Miller, Rebecca, To Weave for the Sun, Boston, 1992, pl. 60a, p.165 for an example). Perhaps the Mikaeloff example is a transitional piece, as it demonstrates some tendancies of the Late Intermediate period, such as the repetitive nature. Interestingly, many of the motifs found in the field of our example are devices typically found in minor borders suggesting that there was an allowance of artistic freedom. It also has elements typically found in Central Coast examples such as the hooked motif within the hexagon which is a derivation of the four headed bird motif frequently found in Central Coast borders of the Late Intermediate Period (see Stone-Miller, op. cit., pl. 52, pg. 151 and HALI, issue 58, pg. 117 for comparables).