The Textile Museum’s “Rug and Textile Appreciation Morning” series continues on Saturday, 24 October 2026, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EDT, with a session titled “Radiocarbon Dating and the Inka Empire.”
The session ties in with the museum’s current exhibition, Weaving an Empire: Textiles of the Inka World. In the 15th century the Inka expanded beyond the Cuzco Valley and came to control much of western South America. The exhibition shows rarely displayed garments from the many communities under Inka rule. Their clothing signalled allegiance to the empire while keeping local styles and traditions.
Collectors Matthew Polk and Amy Gould will explain what radiocarbon dating can and cannot do, with a focus on textiles from ancient Andean civilizations. They will use examples from the exhibition and from their own collection.
Polk and Gould have collected textiles together for more than 45 years. Gould is a retired architect, a former trustee of The Textile Museum and a vice president of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Polk co-founded Polk Audio and recently joined The Textile Museum’s board.
The program is free. You can attend in person at the museum or follow the livestream online. Advance registration is required, and when you register you choose how you will take part. Online participants receive the Zoom link and joining instructions by email.
More information:
Rug and Textile Appreciation Morning: Radiocarbon Dating and the Inka Empire, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum