Inca Empire Costumes, Antique Lithograph of Inca Clothing, Max Tilke c.1880
€ 290
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1880
Sheet size
31.5 × 23.5 cm (12.4 × 9.3 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13129-147
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Condition report: Light toning to the margins appropriate for age. Minor edge wear but safely outside image areas. Colors remain vivid and unfaded. No tears, stains, or losses. Plate marks visible where applicable.
About this sheet
Costume of the Inca Empire, an original color-printed plate by Max Tilke, published in Berlin by Ernst Wasmuth A.G. and numbered 147. The sheet is captioned in three languages: "Reich der Inka", "Inca Empire" and "Empire des Incas". Tilke's name appears at the lower left of the image.
The plate is arranged in two bands of figures. In the upper band, six standing men and women show the range of Inca dress: ponchos and tunics with geometric borders, plumed and woven headgear, a round shield, spears and clubs, and large painted jars at the right. The lower band shows a woman carrying a load in a net on her back, a man playing panpipes, a figure in a bright patterned tunic with a feather crest, and a man with a drum and a shield with a red cross design. A llama lies at the front center, with a bundle in its pack. The backgrounds are low mountains and adobe buildings in pale washes.
Tilke's plates belong to a general series on the history of costume, and this one condenses what was known of Andean dress and equipment into a single sheet.
