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Tunic (Unku). Peru. Colonial Inca artist, circa 17th century. Camelid fiber, silk, metallic thread, 26 3/4 x 31 in. (67.9 x 78.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.224.51
After the Spanish Conquest in 1532, the traditional Inca tunic for men took on new forms and meanings. Local lords, or curacas, adopted garment styles that had previously been reserved for the Inca nobility. These members of the new elite appropriated the high-status garment of the past in order to validate their authority. This tunic combines both Andean and European symbols in its embroidered designs, which were done over a period of time. For example, traditional Inca geometric designs known as tocapu are visible along the lower edges of both sides and around the neck, and appear to be original to the garment. The embroidered decorations on the borders of the tunic above the tocapu, however, were added later. On one side, there are three repeated scenes of an Inca receiving gifts from women flanked by musicians playing shell trumpets. The scenes follow the same format as painted kero cup imagery. On the other side of the tunic, the embroidery is more European in character and employs a different technique. Two Inca kings stand on platforms next to the central image of a heraldic shield flanked by lions. This embroidery is executed primarily with silver-wrapped linen threads and is remarkably different from the previous two types. Embroidered tunics from the colonial period are rare; this is one of four known examples.
Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum