The Royal Inca Tunic: A Biography of an Andean Masterpiece

The hidden life of the greatest surviving work of Inca art The most celebrated Andean artwork in the world is a five-hundred-year-old Inca tunic made famous through theories about the meanings of its intricate designs, including attempts to read them as a long-lost writing system. But very little is really known about it. The Royal Inca Tunic reconstructs the history of this enigmatic object, presenting significant new findings about its manufacture and symbolism in Inca visual culture. Andrew James Hamilton draws on meticulous physical examinations of the garment conducted over a decade, wide-ranging studies of colonial Peruvian manuscripts, and groundbreaking research into the tunic's provenance. He methodically builds a case for the textile having been woven by two women who belonged to the very highest echelon of Inca artists for the last emperor of the Inca Empire on the eve of the Spanish invasion in 1532. Hamilton reveals for the first time that this imperial vestment remains unfinished and has suffered massive dye fading that transforms its appearance today, and he proposes a bold new conception of what this radiant masterpiece originally looked like. Featuring stunning photography of the tunic and Hamilton's own beautiful illustrations, The Royal Inca Tunic demonstrates why this object holds an important place in the canon of art history as a deft creation by Indigenous women artists, a reminder of the horrors of colonialism, and an emblem of contemporary Andean identity.

About the Author :
Andrew James Hamilton is associate curator of Arts of the Americas at the Art Institute of Chicago and a lecturer in the Department of Art History at the University of Chicago. He is the author and illustrator of Scale & the Incas (Princeton).

Review :
"Finalist for the R.L. Shep Memorial Book Award, Textile Society of America" "Hamilton brings an impressive grasp of material processes and an ability to evoke haptic sensibilities to the understanding of objects of material culture. . . . Hamilton's wide-ranging investigation of the tunic's manufacture reads with the verve of a detective novel and leads to a series of plausible and intriguing histories. His astute perceptions and detailed observations generate rich inferences as to the how and whom of the garment."-- "Choice" "Hamilton's discussions and visual renderings of Andean and Inca weaving techniques provide wonderful pedagogical tools; indeed, they should prove classroom classics. . . . In recent years, several generations of highly professional US textile curators and scholars have brought new insight into Andean fiber art's human ingenuity and cultural ambition. It is to our discipline's great benefit that this specialized knowledge be published in such a professionally visible, beautifully illustrated volume as this one."---Adam Herring, Art Bulletin "Inspiring. . . . well-researched . . . [and] beautifully illustrated. . . . [The Royal Inca Tunic] speaks to the importance of women artists who belonged to the highest strata of Inca society, the abuses of colonialism, and the tunic's enduring power as an emblem of contemporary Andean identity. "---Susan Elizabeth Ramı´rez, Hispanic American Historical Review "This engagingly written and beautifully illustrated book shows convincingly that the Royal Inca Tunic deserves pride of place in the global art canon. "---Maya Stanfield-Mazzi, Journal of Anthropological Research "Substantive. . . . [The Royal Inca Tunic] is a testament to the potential lode of stories that can be found through material history. . . . . [The book] can be perused quickly and enjoyed through the beautiful images or scoured in detail for the peculiar and fascinating stories. Readers should be warned, however, that a full digestion of the text will keep them percolating and mulling over historical pieces much longer and deeper than previously expected."---James G. Bland, First American Art Magazine "This extensive analysis of the textile, the methods, the time of making and the underlying meaning sets a new standard for understanding this relic of a lost empire."---Michael F. Rohde, HALI Magazine "As thrilling as a murder mystery, a visual feast that kept me engaged till the last page. . . . Hamilton has provided an example of how thrilling art history and archaeological writing can be."---Bill Sillar, 21: Inquiries into Art, History, and the Visual ​​​​​​​ "Andrew James Hamilton carries out a meticulous examination of the 500-year old imperial tunic, considered "the most celebrated Andean artwork in the world", putting the case for its creation by two female artists on the eve of the devastating Spanish invasion."---Jacqueline Riding, The Art Newspaper