Quechua. <em>Qero Cup in Shape of Human Head</em>, 17th–18th century. Wood, pigment inlay, 7 1/2 x 6 3/8 x 5 3/8 in. (19.1 x 16.2 x 13.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 39.563. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.563_SL1.jpg)

Qero Cup in Shape of Human Head

Artist:Quechua

Medium: Wood, pigment inlay

Geograhical Locations:

Dates:17th–18th century

Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 6 3/8 x 5 3/8 in. (19.1 x 16.2 x 13.7 cm)

Collections:

Museum Location: Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor

Exhibitions:

Accession Number: 39.563

Image: 39.563_SL1.jpg,

Catalogue Description:
The vessel is constructed from a single piece of wood. On the front, a face is carved; on the back, the hair provides a panel for a figural scene in which an Inca ruler, sitting on a low stool and holding a shield, is presented with a prisoner of war whose face is painted with three horizontal bands of color like the face on the kero cup itself. The scene also includes a figure holding a parasol over another figure and a seated feline. The forehead forms the rim of the cup and the neck forms the foot of the vessel. Inca themes were used on kero cups throughout the Colonial era.

Brooklyn Museum