The Ruler’s Feathered Headdress is made out of feathers, gold, wood, and plant fibers in 1428-1520 CE in Mexico, likely by the Aztecs. The headdress relates to the theme of art worn as a symbol of power as the headdress was known to be worn by Moctezuma II. Moctezuma II was the ninth ruler of Tenochtitlán.
Ahu’ula (feather cape) is a cape made out of feathers which were knotted into fiber base. It was created in Hawaii in late 18th century CE. Ahu’ula relates to the theme of art worn as a symbol of power as it was only worn by elite men, likely those who were classified as royal.
Visually, these both relate to the theme as they both use feathers as a symbol of power. In The Ruler’s Feathered Headdress, the feathers were rather difficult to secure, as they were imported through the vast Aztec trading network. This gives the feathers used a rarer meaning to it, which allows us to know that in order to acquire these feathers, you must be a member in power. Ahu’ula places its entire emphasis on its feather. It uses three different colored feathers, all which are rare and used only by those of significant power: the Polynesia red, the yellow feathers, and the black feathers. Contextually, they are both objects used to represent power, as The Ruler’s Feathered Headdress is used on ruler Moctezuma II, who was the ninth ruler of Tenochtitlán, while Ahu’ula was only allowed to be worn by any male member of the elite, with its typical wearers being those of royalty.
Visually, they differ in their emphasis on the feathers. InThe Ruler’s Feathered Headdress, the feathers made up the bulk of the piece, but gold is also articulated into the piece, which allows the piece to relate to the theme of power by using two separate and rare materials to place the importance on that theme. In Ahu’ula, the piece only uses feathers as an emphasis on the power, while it uses three types of feathers, it does not acquire any separate materials. Contextually, both of these pieces are indeed used to emphasize power, however, in The Ruler’s Feathered Headdress, it is used for one singular ruler, while in Ahu’ula, the feather cape is used on many different members of the elite, for ceremonial and war purposes.
OHS APAH 