Peruvian Folk Art Tapestries for Sale

As with all ancient cultures, we learn about myths, lifestyles and events through archaeological study. Many of our ancestral societies created art to tell stories – from pottery to painting, clothing and tapestries.

When it comes to Peruvian folk art, many historians have studied cloth remnants from as far back as 1000BC to learn about these ancient societies.

Commemorating events, depicting rituals and telling myth and creation stories through weaving has been a connective thread through the rise and fall of Peruvian societies. Scholars who have studied these times know which styles were used in which period and can therefor successfully date them and can learn so much about what they did, how they lived and what was important to them.

This shared history depicted in Peruvian folk art tapestries is the basis for Maximo Laura to create his own fabulously rich Peruvian tapestries. Taking elements from his personal history and that of 5 generations of weavers, he has become a student of art across the world, interlinking ancestral techniques with contemporary style to create internationally acclaimed art.

The earliest tapestries are faded and worn but have been dated as far back as the Chavin society – 1000BC. These were created in an intricate and specific style, depicting animals and humans, geometric patterns and supernatural, transformative beings.

As the Moche society developed in South America, the style of tapestries became more about realism and landscapes. Moving figures and animal/human motifs were created using Alpaca wool.

The Wari designs became very abstract – perhaps a representation of shamanic transformation or drug-induced trances featuring in Wari religious ceremonies. We see a growth in color, with blue being favored, and the all-important llama became a feature. Deities and flowers are seen in this period.

Chimu-dated tapestries showed a little more about society, featuring human figures wearing headdresses that it is though represent the ruling class. More exotic designs featuring feathers and more natural colors sit alongside double-headed rainbow snakes.

Perhaps the most well-known of the South American civilizations, the Inca felt that textiles were the most prestigious form of art and used as currency. Inca design almost always favored geometric designs, checkerboard repetition that represented the specific community that created it. Where animals and birds were depicted, it is through abstract motifs and Inca standardized forms and designs.

Maximo Laura was born in Ayacucho, Peru to a family with a rich history of weaving. He began a life-ling study of art history and literature, taking him beyond the borders of South America to learn about contemporary art history. From his first exhibition in 1985, Mr. Laura has held over 140 exhibitions in more than 29 countries – making him one of South America’s pre-eminent and most unique Peruvian textile artists.

Mr. Laura himself is a consultant, designer and lecturer on art, currently living and working in Lima. In his home workshop, the Museo Maximo Laura features a collection of the most important and richest artistic visions, curated to encourage and inspire artists while promoting, exhibiting and preserve the work itself.

Mr. Laura designs all the tapestries, from small drawings, selecting the right colors and imagery to suit the theme he is creating. Each tapestry is handwoven on a floor loom by one weaver – this Master Weaver is hand-selected and trained by Mr. Laura himself – and all come from a long line of weaving families.

The fusion of contemporary art and ancestral knowledge make each Peruvian folk art tapestry a unique work – an insight into history blended with modern style, ready to adorn your living space. Choose your design today!