Excerpt from Ancient Peruvian Art Lent by John Wise, Esq., New York: An Exhibition of the Wadsworth Atheneum, Opening March 3, 1937, Hartford, Connecticut Peruvian textiles represent one of the outstanding achievements in the weaving art of the world. For fineness of thread, complexity and variety of techniques, and harmonious design compositions, they are unsurpassed. The interest in these textiles is enhanced by the realization that they represent the pre-spanish archaeological periods of Peru, and consequently were developed without dependence on either Asia or the Old World. The present exhibition of pre-columbian art of Peru has been loaned by Mr. John Wise of New York. Mr. Wise has spent years assembling this collection and its excellence is due in large part to his long experience with pre - Columbian art objects from all parts of the Americas. It is unique in many ways, not only for the gamut of techniques and. Designs represented, but also for the amazing preservation of many of the pieces. Outstanding in the textile section are the complete, embroidered ponchos and shawls of the Paracas Period, the elaborate tapestries of the Tiahuanaco Period, the four pointed hats of velvet, the tie-dye patchwork ponchos, and many other pieces of unusual merit. The collection is augmented by unique examples of silver figure bowls, some fine pottery of the Early Nazc'a and Tiahuanaco Coast Periods, wooden goblets of lacquer work, and various ornaments of gold, copper, and stone. As works of art the textiles in this exhibit speak for themselves. It is unnecessary to elaborate on the range and harmony of colors, the arrangement of designs, and the subtle modifications of figure patterns to meet the demands of the technique. It seems appropriate, how ever, to present a brief résumé of the materials used in weaving, of the pre Spanish loom, and of the conditions under which these-textiles are found. A short summary of the known archaeological periods and their estimated duration is essential to full appreciation of the material. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.