Object Name: Fragment of decorative edging from a mantle
Cultural Group/Place of Origin: Nasca culture, south coast of Peru
Date: Early Intermediate Period, 1st – 3rd century CE
Materials Used: Dyed camelid hair; three-dimensional crossed-looping
Dimensions: 36 x 6 x 1 cm
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Edwin Ullman. X80.837.

Source: Elena Phipps, The Peruvian Four-Selvaged Cloth. Ancient Threads / New Directions. Fowler Museum Textile Series, No. 12, Los Angeles, 2013
This fragment does no include the beginning or ending of the looping.
Three-dimensional edgings were a special skill developed by the needle-workers of the Nasca Valley, especially during the first to around the third century. Used to embellish generally plain monochrome mantles, these elaborately constructed pieces are unparalleled. Created meticulously, loop into loop, the hummingbirds birds in this band – a favorite subject that is also depicted in Nasca ceramics – dip their long beaks into flowers.