Quechua. Qero Cup, late 16th–17th century. Wood with pigment inlay, 7 13/16 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (19.8 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Werner Muensterberger, 64.210.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1993.2_64.210.2_41.1275.5_SL3.jpg)
Quechua. Qero Cup, late 16th–17th century. Wood with pigment inlay, 7 13/16 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (19.8 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Werner Muensterberger, 64.210.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 64.210.2_PS6.jpg)
Quechua. Qero Cup, late 16th–17th century. Wood with pigment inlay, 7 13/16 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (19.8 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Werner Muensterberger, 64.210.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.64.210.2.jpg)
Qero Cup
Arts of the Americas
On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Radical Care
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.
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.
CULTURE
Quechua
MEDIUM
Wood with pigment inlay
DATES
late 16th–17th century
PERIOD
Colonial Period
DIMENSIONS
7 13/16 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (19.8 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of the Americas
ACCESSION NUMBER
64.210.2
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Dr. Werner Muensterberger
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1964, provenance not yet documented; by November 1964, acquired by Werner Muensterberger of New York, NY; December 19, 1964, gift of Werner Muensterberger to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Radical Care
CAPTION
Quechua. Qero Cup, late 16th–17th century. Wood with pigment inlay, 7 13/16 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (19.8 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Werner Muensterberger, 64.210.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1993.2_64.210.2_41.1275.5_SL3.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 1993.2_64.210.2_41.1275.5_SL3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
"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.
