Chancay Textile Weaving Comb

Pre-Columbian era, Chancay culture, 1000–1470AD, Peru

An exceptional and rare weaving comb, beautifully crafted from split reed—most likely Carrizo (Phragmites australis)—and featuring 30 finely barbed spikes fastened between two horizontal shafts. This authentic textile tool is tightly bound with light brown braided thread characteristic of Chancay textile production. The sturdy rectangular handle is reinforced with black resin, possibly bitumen, and is elegantly embellished with dark brown seeds for added texture and visual appeal.

This comb was an essential implement in the complex process of weaving, used to beat the weft threads securely into place. Its remarkable preservation, with resin and original binding thread still intact, offers a rare glimpse into the technical sophistication of Chancay textile craftsmanship.

The Chancay culture flourished along Peru’s central coast and is renowned for its mastery of textile arts. Weaving was not only a practical skill but also a profound symbolic language used to express social identity, wealth, gender, and spiritual belief. Chancay artisans employed a vibrant palette of yellows, browns, scarlets, whites, blues, and greens, working with llama wool, cotton, chiffon, and feathers to create intricate gauzes and cloths. Their designs often featured geometric motifs alongside stylized depictions of animals, plants, and human figures.

Textiles were deeply intertwined with ritual life—used in religious ceremonies, magical practices, and funerary rites. In death, Chancay individuals were wrapped in multiple layers of woven cloth and buried with grave goods, reflecting the enduring cultural and symbolic importance of textiles and their tools in Chancay society.

Excellent condition. Surface wear commensurate with age and use. Minor chips and losses to some barbed spikes. Chip to black resin. Size approx. 7,8cm x 6,2cm x 1,0cm.

Provenance: From the estate of Paul Ragnar Wedendal Sr. & Paul Wedendal Jr. Collected in the 1940's to 1950's.

For a similar examples see:

Wooden Comb with Woolen Decoration, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession number: 1994.35.44 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/316869)