Pre-Columbian Antiquities

Inca Carved Wood Kero Cup

Culture: Inca
Origin: Peru
Object: Cup
Materials: Wood
Dimensions: 7.5 in. high, 6 in. diameter (19 x 15 cm)
Catalogue: ANT-189

From the collector

This is not Kuba. It is an Inca kero (qero) drinking cup from Peru — the waisted cylindrical form with flaring rim is the kero profile, not a Kuba mortar. Mine still has built-up chicha beer residue inside, which is what fooled the house: it reads at a glance like the palm-wine residue found in Kuba cups.

A carved hardwood vessel of waisted cylindrical form with a flaring rim and flat base. The exterior is ornamented with deeply incised geometric motifs — concentric squares, chevrons and cross-hatched bands arranged in rhythmic registers. The interior shows extensive use wear together with a rich dark patina developed through handling and age.

Provenance

Property from a private collection assembled by a dealer and collector over more than six decades, per the auction house. Catalogued by the house as a Kuba vessel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; that attribution is not accepted here — see the collector's note.

Comparanda