Provenance Information

Nathaniel W. Hicks and Carmen Z. Hicks, late 1950s or early 1960s to 1972; Carmen Z. Hicks, 1972 to 1995; William Hicks, 1995 to 2011.

PUBLICATION HISTORY: None.

Exhibition Information

None

Publication Information

None

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

In addition to the ownership history provided by the seller, the late Carmen Z. Hicks stated in a 1991 letter written in connection with a loan of the objects that her husband, the late Nathaniel W. Hicks, acquired and brought the textiles to the U.S. by 1963. This statement is consistent with the provenance of similar textiles. Where collection dates can be determined, all other Chimú white cotton garments in the same style (the so-called Pelican Style) entered public or private institutions (principally in the United States) before 1970.
The tunic is a relatively rare type and fills a significant gap in the Chimú holdings of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it will join a set of white Pelican Style garments that consists of a mantle (or hanging), a loincloth, a padded hat, a turban, and a tasseled band.