What do you think?
Rate this book
Textiles from the Andes
In the world of the ancient Andes, textiles were often the most valuable commodity people possessed. Featured here are a wealth of rare and exquisite pieces, many of great iconographic and technical importance, ranging in date from the Paracas to the Inka and Colonial periods, 200 BC to the late 18th century AD.
88 pages, Paperback
First published November 20, 2011
About the author
Penelope Dransart
10 books1 followerDr Penny Dransart D. Phil (Oxford) is a Reader, in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint Davids.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 28, 2016
I needed some focus to come to an appreciation of the extraordinary beauty of the textiles from this region. The majority of the work/art predates colonisation by the Spanish (more modern examples incorporate European and Asian motifs). People used distinctive and highly inventive techniques to achieve breathtaking effects in their woven fabrics, and taking the time to look at a variety of pieces and learn a little about how they were made ignited a passion for them that I hadn't felt previously.
This is a short book with only a brief descriptive introduction mainly discussing production techniques. There are a few comments on how textiles were used but the overwhelming focus is on making, and this knowledge comes from direct study of the artefacts, since no written records have become available to the writers. They do mention that action of weaving with a back-strap loom (progressed by leaning backwards and forwards, and the use of other technologies, seem to have influenced the language around textile-making: 'the weft is analogous to drawing a breath of air into the fabric... the animating principle in these textiles has to do with breath, which breathes the finished textile into life'
Accordingly, some of the examples are extraordinarily alive! Even when living creatures are not represented, I would argue that the designs are vivacious and strong, bold patterns that arrest the eye and then lead it in a whirling, delighted dance. The techniques used to obtain pure colours create striking effects and the stylised animals and hybrid creatures are fabulous. The hummingbird textile on the cover is haunting, and I long to hear the story behind it.
That's what is missing from this book. Political questions, such as how the British Museum came to have these objects are not addressed: 'Many of the items included here were obtained from archaeological sites in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries before the introduction of excavation under rigorously controlled conditions. As a result, the dates of individual pieces are only approximate and have been assigned on the basis of style.' Some are labelled 'date and culture unknown' and for others dates are given in ranges: 200 BC – AD 600, AD 600 – 1000, AD 1000 – 1476, 1476 – 1534. The discussion gives the impression that the artefacts were simply taken, and nobody thought to ask questions (let alone permissions of any kind) of the indigenous locals about them until much more recently. Contextualisation does figure, for example in the mention of slings used in battles with the Spanish, notably by women, but this is limited, perhaps by constraints of space and the intention to focus on the artwork itself, as well as providing technical information for textile experts.
While I'm honoured to be able to see these incredibly beautiful works and gain some understanding of how they were made, and appreciate the responsible approach of the authors who refuse to indulge in speculation about the meaning of motifs, I feel a sense of grief that I look at them without knowing why they were made, where they fit into the societies that produced them, and discomfort about how they came to be available to my leisurely consumption in this disconnected way.
This is a short book with only a brief descriptive introduction mainly discussing production techniques. There are a few comments on how textiles were used but the overwhelming focus is on making, and this knowledge comes from direct study of the artefacts, since no written records have become available to the writers. They do mention that action of weaving with a back-strap loom (progressed by leaning backwards and forwards, and the use of other technologies, seem to have influenced the language around textile-making: 'the weft is analogous to drawing a breath of air into the fabric... the animating principle in these textiles has to do with breath, which breathes the finished textile into life'
Accordingly, some of the examples are extraordinarily alive! Even when living creatures are not represented, I would argue that the designs are vivacious and strong, bold patterns that arrest the eye and then lead it in a whirling, delighted dance. The techniques used to obtain pure colours create striking effects and the stylised animals and hybrid creatures are fabulous. The hummingbird textile on the cover is haunting, and I long to hear the story behind it.
That's what is missing from this book. Political questions, such as how the British Museum came to have these objects are not addressed: 'Many of the items included here were obtained from archaeological sites in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries before the introduction of excavation under rigorously controlled conditions. As a result, the dates of individual pieces are only approximate and have been assigned on the basis of style.' Some are labelled 'date and culture unknown' and for others dates are given in ranges: 200 BC – AD 600, AD 600 – 1000, AD 1000 – 1476, 1476 – 1534. The discussion gives the impression that the artefacts were simply taken, and nobody thought to ask questions (let alone permissions of any kind) of the indigenous locals about them until much more recently. Contextualisation does figure, for example in the mention of slings used in battles with the Spanish, notably by women, but this is limited, perhaps by constraints of space and the intention to focus on the artwork itself, as well as providing technical information for textile experts.
While I'm honoured to be able to see these incredibly beautiful works and gain some understanding of how they were made, and appreciate the responsible approach of the authors who refuse to indulge in speculation about the meaning of motifs, I feel a sense of grief that I look at them without knowing why they were made, where they fit into the societies that produced them, and discomfort about how they came to be available to my leisurely consumption in this disconnected way.
January 31, 2019
I really love this book and could go on for paragraphs as too why. I will just add that I had the honour and pleasure of having Penny as a tutor during my time at university. I find her writing and research truly fascinating.
May 31, 2016
This book helped me understand the specifics of how different textiles are constructed. I was previously very unfamiliar with the terminology. The glossary was very helpful clarifying these terms. I now understand the difference between warp-faced and weft-faced textiles. The pictures in this book helped me understand what themes may be common, and how they may symbolically appear, in Andean textiles.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews