Four-Cornered Hat in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 2018

Four-Cornered Hat,A.D. 500–900


Object Details

Date: A.D. 500–900

Geography: Bolivia or Peru

Culture: Tiwanaku or Wari

Medium: Camelid fiber

Dimensions: H. 7 in. × Diam. 7 1/4 in. × Circum. 22 3/4 in. (17.8 × 18.4 × 57.8 cm)

Classification: Textiles-Costumes

Credit Line: Bequest of Arthur M. Bullowa, 1993

Accession Number: 1994.35.158


Tiwanaku or Wari

In the ancient Andes, royal crowns could be made of cloth. This example is patterned with alternating bird images arranged in two registers. It was knotted without pile from the top down, including the four peaks, as a single tour de force of construction. Although the technique follows the Tiwanaku craft tradition, the checkerboard pattern and bird motif suggest Wari influence, leaving the origin of this hat unresolved.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/316978