The arrival of the Spanish in South America in 1532 permanently transformed the Andean cultural landscape. Within a generation, societies that had developed over thousands of years, including the great Inca Empire, had been irrevocably altered. The arts from the Spanish colonial period—those that drew on native traditions, such as textiles, silver, woodwork, and stonework, as well as painting, sculpture, and other genres introduced by the Spanish—preserve an unspoken dialogue that developed between Andean and European modes of expression.
This beautiful book presents silver objects, textiles, and other masterpieces of colonial Andean culture. Essays discuss the artistry of this culture and explain how it has been recently reevaluated and celebrated for its vibrant energy reflecting the convergence of two essentially distinct cultural traditions.

The Colonial Andes: Tapestries and Silverwork, 1530 1830 (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series)

Arts & Photography

Phipps, Elena

Hecht, Johanna

Martín, Cristina Esteras

History & Criticism

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cochineal Red: The Art History of a Color

From antiquity to the present day, color has been embedded with cultural meaning. Associated with blood, fire, fertility, and life force, the color red has always been extremely difficult to achieve and thus highly prized.This book discusses the origin of the red colorant derived from the insect cochineal, its early use in Precolumbian ritual textiles from Mexico and Peru, and the spread of the American dyestuff through cultural interchange following the Spanish discovery and conquest of the New World in the 16th century. Drawing on examples from the collections of the Metropolitan Museum, it documents the use of this red-colored treasure in several media and throughout the world. (This title was originally published in 2010.)

Candace Wheeler (1827-1923) changed the course of textile and interior design in the nineteenth-century America and was a driving force behind the professionalization of women in the design field. Inspired by the embroideries produced by England's Royal School of Art Needlework, which she saw at the 1876 Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, Wheeler founded the Society of Decorative Art in New York. The organization offered instruction in the applied arts to women and helped them sell their work, providing some measure of economic independence. Wheeler was acquainted with leading figures in the New York art world and, as a textile specialist, went into partnership with Louis Comfort Tiffany in an interior design firm; the company was commissioned to decorate lavish interiors for the Seventh Regiment Armory, the Union League Club, and the homes of wealthy New Yorkers. In 1883 Wheeler formed her own firm, Associated Artists, which produced both hand-wrought and machine-made textiles and was staffed entirely by women. Artistically, Wheeler had begun by taking as her model the accomplishments of advanced British designers such as William Morris and Walter Crane. In the course of her career she absorbed elements of Japanese design and developed a sophisticated American textile style in which the natural forms of native plants were interpreted as free-flowing designs. Moving away from the opulent works of early commissions, she took up the challenge of producing fabrics that were not only beautiful but also affordable and practical for use in middle-class homes. To accomplish this she explored unusual weaving and printing techniques, and in some cases invented new ones. Appointed director of design for the Woman's Building of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Wheeler helped establish an important, visible role for women in the arts. In the course of her life she also wrote influential books on decorating and cofounded a summer artists' colony. The story of this strong-willed, talented woman's career is also a revealing social history and a view of the transformation of American taste as the country grew increasingly confident and cosmopolitan. This publication, which accompanies an exhibition held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, contains a biographical essay and a catalogue of about one hundred designs for textiles, wallpaper, and other interior furnishings by Wheeler and her associates. [This book was originally published in 2001 and has gone out of print. This edition is a print-on-demand version of the original book.]

Candace Wheeler: The Art and Enterprise of American Design, 1875–1900

Peck, Amelia

Irish, Carol

In this beautifully illustrated book, textile expert Elena Phipps examines the ancient Peruvian process of weaving textiles with four finished selvages, or edges. Without cutting a thread, master Peruvian weavers wove each textile to the specifications of its intended use, whether a child’s garment, royal mantle, or ritual cloth. This weaving technique required the highest level of skill and forethought and reflects a high cultural value placed on maintaining the integrity of cloth―not only its design and function but also the very way in which it was constructed. The resultant textiles have long been admired for their mastery of color, technique, and design. While exploring the origins and development of this approach to weaving, Phipps also examines its influence on three contemporary artists―Sheila Hicks, James Bassler, and John Cohen―all of whom have considered ancient Peruvian weaving processes in their own work.

The Peruvian Four-Selvaged Cloth: Ancient Threads / New Directions (Textile Series, No. 12)

Fowler Museum at UCLA

The Colonial Andes: Tapestries And Silverwork, 1530-1830

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Esteras Martín, Cristina

Alcalá, Luisa Elena

Antiques & Collectibles

The arrival of the Spanish in South America in 1532 permanently transformed the Andean cultural landscape. Within a generation, societies that had developed over thousands of years, including the great Inca Empire, had been irrevocably altered. The arts from the Spanish colonial periodâ€”those that drew on native traditions, such as textiles, silver, woodwork, and stonework, as well as painting, sculpture, and other genres introduced by the Spanishâ€”preserve an unspoken dialogue that developed between Andean and European modes of expression.This beautiful book presents silver objects, textiles, and other masterpieces of colonial Andean culture. Essays discuss the artistry of this culture and explain how it has been recently reevaluated and celebrated for its vibrant energy reflecting the convergence of two essentially distinct cultural traditions.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Textiles have been made and used by every culture throughout history. However diverse—whether an ancient Egyptian mummy wrapping, a Turkish carpet, an Italian velvet, or an American quilt—all textiles have basic elements in common. They are made of fibers, constructed into forms, and patterned and colored in ways that follow certain principles. Looking at Textiles serves as a guide to the fundamentals of the materials and techniques used to create textiles. The selected technical terms explain what textiles are, how they are made, and what they are made of, and include definitions of terms relating to fibers, dyes, looms and weaving, and patterning processes. The many illustrations, including macro- and microscale photographs of a range of ancient and historic museum textiles, demonstrate the features described in the text.

Looking at Textiles: A Guide to Technical Terms

Reference

Encyclopedias & Subject Guides

J.paul Getty Museum

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Books by Phipps, Elena