Early Nasca Needlework

This work concentrates exclusively on the elaborately embroidered textiles from the Ica and Nasca valley regions in south-coastal Peru. Focusing on the supernatural figures depicted in these vividly coloured textiles, it brings together textiles, ceramics and gold from museums and private collections around the world to document the techniques and style of Nasca needlework. It also suggests that the more widely-known Paracas needlework may have been influenced by that of the early Nasca culture.

Located along the country's south coast, Peru's Ica and Nasca valley regions are the focus of Sawyer's cogent and fascinating study of ancient textiles, which are imbued with a richly expressive narrative quality. For his research purposes, Sawyer portrays fine examples of ceramic objects and works in gold as well as the Nasca needlework, in order to best evaluate the powerful, dynamic iconography of Nasca imagery and symbols, which provide entree to this complex pre-Colombian culture and its riverine religion. Accomplished with a tremendous degree of technical proficiency, the works highlighted here are presented in a handsome, profusely illustrated format, making Sawyer's scholarly treatise both visually stimulating and aesthetically satisfying to behold. Alice Joyce