Staff Item Number: Sf805 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Carved wooden staff. The top 2/3's has a series of four human heads with crowns. Top is largest, decreasing in size down post. All have three pointed crowns except the second has four pointed ones. U-shaped faces with lozenge shaped eyes with round centres, and small pursed mouth. Chins suggest short beards - three or four lines diagonally across both cheeks, long straight noses, diamond shaped crosshatched forehead bands, and centre of crowns have inverted step with horizontal and vertical hatching and triangular peaks with horizontal incised lines. Depicted below faces are a crawfish ? decorated with diagonal hatching, horizontal lines and crosshatching and a bottom figure of llama, head to top, tail to bottom, four legs on left. Diamond hatching on back and neck, vertical lines across tail and horizontal lines on ears. Carved on one side only. Light brown deposit over dark brown wood. Raised surfaces are dark and smooth. A few longitudinal cracks.
History Of Use
Contemporary carving, the multiple heads have some pre-Columbian elements.
Item History
What
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Peru
When
- Collection Date
- between 1949 and 1966
- Ownership Date
- before May 4, 1981
- Acquisition Date
- on May 4, 1981
Other
- Condition
- fair
- Accession Number
- 0711/0307