The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Kero (Waisted Cup)

Kero (Waisted Cup)

after 1550
Diameter of mouth: 17.8 x 16 cm (7 x 6 5/16 in.); Overall: 17.8 cm (7 in.)
Location: 232 Andean

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.
  • Treasures of Peruvian Gold. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 23-April 3, 1966).
    Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; February 23-April 3, 1966. "Treasures of Peruvian Gold."
  • {{cite web|title=Kero (Waisted Cup)|url=false|author=|year=after 1550|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1957.143