Raoul d'Harcourt
Textiles of Ancient Peru and Their Techniques was published in 1934. No subsequent publication has succeeded in replacing it as a work of reference in this field. Raoul d'Harcourt's text is very clearly written and provides a detailed description of all the ancient techniques that have been discovered by examining fabrics and embroidered cloth and shows to what extent they are connected with each other and can be grouped together.
By concentrating mainly on motifs, this book provides keys to understanding the wealth of Peruvian textiles, as well as much else. He also shows that the Indians, long before the arrival of the Europeans, were engaged in complex manufacturing processes which gave their textile products a rich and varied aspect, which has miraculously been preserved until the present.
Thanks to the basic typology that the author has put forward, for the last 70 years and irrespective of its subject matter, his book has been a bible for everyone engaged in the study of textiles. It is regularly published in English, but has not been available in French for more than 50 years.
Identical reprint of the original edition of 1934
