Peruvian Textiles

The MFA’s collection of Peruvian textiles, dating from 500 BCE to the present, is among the finest in the world. Textile production in early Andean culture was unparalleled; the extensive labor involved in gathering, preparing and dyeing fibers; the innovation of weavers who pushed beyond constraints of the loom; and the technical virtuosity are achievements not evident anywhere outside of Peru. Techniques such as discontinuous warp and weft, double cloth, triple cloth, sprang twining, and looping demonstrate a level of sophistication that remains unsurpassed. The investment of labor and the value placed on complexity underscore the primacy of textiles in a society that was dedicated to fiber as its preeminent form of aesthetic expression.