Pin (Tupu), 18th century. Silver alloy, 8 1/16 x 4 7/8in. (20.5 x 12.4cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 41.1275.241. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 41.1275.238_41.1275.241_41.1275.242_PS6.jpg)
Pin (Tupu), 18th century. Silver alloy, 8 1/16 x 4 7/8in. (20.5 x 12.4cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 41.1275.241. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 41.1275.238_41.1275.241_41.1275.242_bw_SL1.jpg)
Pin (Tupu)
Arts of the Americas
After the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire and the establishment of the Viceroyalty of Peru, female members of the Indigenous elite wore elaborate tupus, or pins, as a sign of their social status and descent from Inca royalty. All three seen here incorporate European iconography into an Indigenous art form. Made of gold, silver, copper, or bronze, Inca tupus were a basic element of female attire, used to secure dresses and shawls. Larger ones, such as the center example with a flat shaft, were worn in matching pairs suspended from the neck so the disk-shaped heads covered the chest.
During the colonial period, European techniques of repoussé and engraving were introduced. Repoussé, which is raised relief produced by hammering on the reverse, is seen in the two examples at the left, with heraldic rampant felines and a stylized urn with grapes. The tupu at the right is engraved with the double-headed eagle of the Hapsburg Empire, which ruled Europe, Spain, and, by extension, Spain’s colonies in the Americas until the early nineteenth century.
During the colonial period, European techniques of repoussé and engraving were introduced. Repoussé, which is raised relief produced by hammering on the reverse, is seen in the two examples at the left, with heraldic rampant felines and a stylized urn with grapes. The tupu at the right is engraved with the double-headed eagle of the Hapsburg Empire, which ruled Europe, Spain, and, by extension, Spain’s colonies in the Americas until the early nineteenth century.
MEDIUM
Silver alloy
DATES
18th century
DIMENSIONS
8 1/16 x 4 7/8in. (20.5 x 12.4cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of the Americas
ACCESSION NUMBER
41.1275.241
CREDIT LINE
Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Large, disk-shaped pin with an engraved double-headed eagle of the Habsburg Empire surrounded by floral designs (far right in photo). Used by Andean women to secure their dresses and shawls.
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Pin (Tupu), 18th century. Silver alloy, 8 1/16 x 4 7/8in. (20.5 x 12.4cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 41.1275.241. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 41.1275.238_41.1275.241_41.1275.242_PS6.jpg)
IMAGE
41.1275.238_41.1275.241_41.1275.242_PS6.jpg.
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply.
Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply).
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
