Shroud of Gothenburg

Shroud of Gothenburg

Sweden returned this group of 89 textile fragments to Peru 80 years after they were smuggled out of the country during the 1930s by Sven Karell, the Swedish consul to Lima. The returns included the "Shroud of Gothenburg" (or the "Calendar textile"), an intricately woven, multi-colored, almost complete burial shroud with stylistic motifs of animals, crops and deities.

Paracas archaeological sites have been targeted by looters since at least the early 1900s. The Paracas culture was first identified by Peruvian archaeologist Julio C. Tello, who excavated sites on the Paracas peninsula in 1925 and recognized stylistic similarities between sites, architecture and burial goods. Since their initial publication, Paracas textiles have been highly sought after by smugglers and collectors.

The Shroud of Gothenburg and fragments of other textiles were displayed in the exhibit "A Stolen World" at the Museum of World Cultures, Gothenburg, in 2008. The subsequent controversy surrounding the exhibit sparked a repatriation claim by Peru in 2010.

As negotiations stalled between Sweden and Peru, Peruvian President Alan Garcia instigated legal proceedings against Sweden, and the return was settled out of court in 2013.

The Shroud of Gothenburg and three other pieces were flown to Peru in June 2014, fulfilling the agreement that Peru had reached with the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg. Over the following seven years, 33 additional textiles were repatriated to Peru. The final shipment arrived in 2021, during Peru's bicentennial celebration of its independence, as well as Gothenburg's 400th anniversary.

The unveiling of each textile fragment back in Peru was celebrated with fanfare and filmed for public awareness. They were unpacked at the Archaeology and Anthropology Museum by Anna Javér, then-curator of textiles at the Museum of World Cultures in Gothenburg, as well as Dr. Sonia Guillen, director general of museums at the Ministry of Culture in Lima, Peru's Minister of Culture Diana Alvarez-Calderon, and the Swedish ambassador Eva Zetterberg.

Peruvian artist Oscar Lara oversaw a team of weavers that completed the two copies of the textile, which were given to the Museum of World Culture after the repatriation was completed.

89

Textile – fabrics, clothing, fiber-based objects

Paracas

Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg

1935.32.0188/ RT-38074 (among many others)

Peru

Damien Huffer

Jason Felch