Module 12 Analysis Blog Post

(Double Fish Mantle, detail, Block Color style, Paracas, 0-100 C.E. (Brooklyn Museum). The artwork above is a mantle, which is a loose sleeveless shawl or cloak, and it is made from cotton, camelid fiber. This mantle would have been made for an adult and probably a male. This mantle was most likely used as a ceremonial object. It was made between 0-100 C.E. and similar mantles were also found in the South Coast, Paracas Necropolis, and Peru. The animals that contribute to the Linear Style are birds, felines, serpents, and mostly fish, while for Block Color textiles humans are the focus. However, as you can see, that is not the case for this Block Color Style because it does in fact have animals on it. In the design of the Double Fish Mantle, you can see multiple pairs of fish interchanged to each other, where the head of one of the fish is facing the end of the other fish. It is suggested that these fish are sharks according to art historian Mary Frame because it looks like there are some sort of gills behind their eyes. Most of the mantle is black and there is an orange border filled with more pairs of fish. This mantle has stringy fringe edges which makes it look like a cozy blanket. The colors match well so the whole piece is very pleasant to look at. The Paraca artists that embroidered textiles often chose to design them with terrestrial life to show an understanding of the peninsula's thriving ecosystem. It is very impressive that over 100 natural colors were made into dyes and used to create magnificent textile pieces in this ancient civilization. The mantle I chose however does not have as many colors as the usual textiles. Some other fabrics that were also found were scarves, shirts, and ponchos which are designed with particular embroidery. Textiles were very important to the Paracas culture and were used in the burials of deceased individuals. They would be placed in before the body and then covered them sometimes too. This mantle itself was not used for a burial but that is the common use for them, this one was used to be worn as a cape or cloak. I think mantles would have also held a similar purpose as the textiles when it comes to importance in ceremonies. The different techniques and designs people made with these fabrics was absolutely brilliant and it shows how this culture is portrayed through its beautiful artistic components.

Dr. Ananda Cohen-Aponte, "Paracas Textiles: An Introduction," in Smarthistory, October 16, 2020, accessed November 11, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/paracas-textiles-introduction/.