Artwork Page for Kero (Waisted Cup)

Details / Information for Kero (Waisted Cup)

Kero (Waisted Cup)

after 1550

Peru, Colonial Inka style, 16th century

Medium
wood, inlaid pigments
Measurements
Diameter of mouth: 17.8 x 16 cm (7 x 6 5/16 in.); Overall: 17.8 cm (7 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William R. Carlisle 1957.143
Public Domain
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Location
232 Andean
Print

Description

Keros, used to drink the maize beer chicha, were essential items of Inka statecraft. Made and used in pairs, they reflect the important Andean concept of reciprocity. Native use of keros continued in the colonial period, the date of these two examples, which come from separate pairs. The example with geometric motifs is closest to pre-conquest models. On the second, two armies converge: the Inka, dressed in tunics with waistbands, and their opponents, perhaps jungle people whose body parts are heaped in a centerpiece.
A flared wood cup cinches at the waist. Two decorative bands, pigmented with red, yellow, green, and black, cover the body. The top band features square panels containing winding, geometric shapes. Below a multicolored border, the dark brown lower half features a stylized flower with a red and green center extending toward our left. A network of fine cracks winds through the pigments across the entire surface.

Kero (Waisted Cup)

after 1550

Peru, Colonial Inka style, 16th century

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