Kero Cup Item Number: 64.210.2 from the Brooklyn Museum
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. Werner Muensterberger
Label
Objects of Inca tradition such as plates, trays, and kero cups were treasured by the Peruvian Indian nobility. Kero cups were displayed in indigenous elite homes along with European-style objects and silver as visible reminders of their owners’ noble ancestry. This pair is decorated with an Inca male and female standing under a rainbow, a symbol that connoted Inca royal authority. Keros were made and used in pairs for the consumption of chicha, or maize beer, in ritual ceremonies (see illustration) that continued through the colonial period. The use of pairs reflected the important Andean concepts of duality and reciprocity.
Los objetos de tradición incaica como platos, bandejas y copas o vasos kero eran atesorados por la nobleza indígena peruana. Los keros se exhibían en casas indígenas de la élite junto a objetos de estilo europeo y platería como recordatorios visibles del linaje noble de sus propietarios. Este par está decorado con un hombre y mujer incas de pie bajo un arcoíris, símbolo que connotaba la autoridad real inca. Los keros eran fabricados y usados en pares para consumir chicha (cerveza de maíz) en ceremonias rituales (ver ilustración), costumbre que continuó durante el periodo colonial. El empleo de pares reflejaba el importante concepto andino de dualidad y reciprocidad.
Item History
- Made between 1550 and 1800
What
- Name
- Kero Cup
- Identification Number
- 64.210.2
- Type of Item
- cup
- Material
- wood with pigment inlay
- Overall
- length 7.8125 in, width 6.5 in
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- between 1550 and 1800
Other
- Classification
- Vessel