Funerary staff
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Surmounted by carved figures that were likely once painted in red, this wood implement made by Inca artists is thought to have served as a funerary marker. The need to indicate specific burials on the desert coast of the Andes was important not only to remember the dead, but to locate them in preparation for periodic community celebrations when the bundles—the human body wrapped in fine garments and accompanied by ornaments and other items—would be disinterred to feature in elaborate processions celebrating them as ancestors.
The design on the staff show two birds, possibly pelicans, their beaks in a double-triangle-shaped object, perhaps a jar. They stand on a quadrangular structure that features three similar containers, indicating that the motif could represent a food storage area. The geometric nature of these designs is reminiscent of those found on ceramics, textiles, and sculpted friezes made by Chincha, Chancay and Chimú artists, who were incorporated into the Inca Empire in the 15th century.
Adornado por figuras talladas que probablemente estuvieron pintadas de rojo, este utensilio de madera fabricado por artistas incas habría servido como un marcador funerario. La necesidad de indicar entierros específicos en la costa desértica de los Andes era importante no solo para recordar a los muertos, sino para ubicarlos en preparación de las celebraciones periódicas de la comunidad, cuando los fardos—el cuerpo humano envuelto en finas prendas y acompañado por ornamentos y otros objetos—eran desenterrados para formar parte de elaboradas procesiones que los celebraban como ancestros.
Las figuras talladas representan a dos aves, posiblemente pelícanos, con sus picos sobre un objeto en forma de doble triángulo, probablemente un cántaro. Los animales se ubican sobre una estructura cuadrangular que presenta tres recipientes similares, lo que indica que el motivo podría representar una zona de almacenamiento de alimentos. La naturaleza geométrica de estos diseños recuerda a los hallados en cerámicas, textiles y frisos esculpidos realizados por artistas chincha, chancay y chimú, que fueron incorporados al Imperio Inca en el siglo XV.
Carol Rodríguez, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Resident for the Art of the Ancient Americas, 2025
Surmounted by carved figures that were likely once painted in red, this wood implement made by Inca artists is thought to have served as a funerary marker. The need to indicate specific burials on the desert coast of the Andes was important not only to remember the dead, but to locate them in preparation for periodic community celebrations when the bundles—the human body wrapped in fine garments and accompanied by ornaments and other items—would be disinterred to feature in elaborate processions celebrating them as ancestors.
The design on the staff show two birds, possibly pelicans, their beaks in a double-triangle-shaped object, perhaps a jar. They stand on a quadrangular structure that features three similar containers, indicating that the motif could represent a food storage area. The geometric nature of these designs is reminiscent of those found on ceramics, textiles, and sculpted friezes made by Chincha, Chancay and Chimú artists, who were incorporated into the Inca Empire in the 15th century.
Adornado por figuras talladas que probablemente estuvieron pintadas de rojo, este utensilio de madera fabricado por artistas incas habría servido como un marcador funerario. La necesidad de indicar entierros específicos en la costa desértica de los Andes era importante no solo para recordar a los muertos, sino para ubicarlos en preparación de las celebraciones periódicas de la comunidad, cuando los fardos—el cuerpo humano envuelto en finas prendas y acompañado por ornamentos y otros objetos—eran desenterrados para formar parte de elaboradas procesiones que los celebraban como ancestros.
Las figuras talladas representan a dos aves, posiblemente pelícanos, con sus picos sobre un objeto en forma de doble triángulo, probablemente un cántaro. Los animales se ubican sobre una estructura cuadrangular que presenta tres recipientes similares, lo que indica que el motivo podría representar una zona de almacenamiento de alimentos. La naturaleza geométrica de estos diseños recuerda a los hallados en cerámicas, textiles y frisos esculpidos realizados por artistas chincha, chancay y chimú, que fueron incorporados al Imperio Inca en el siglo XV.
Carol Rodríguez, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Resident for the Art of the Ancient Americas, 2025
Artwork Details
- Title: Funerary staff
- Artist: Inca artist(s)
- Date: 1400–1535 CE
- Geography: Peru, Rio Ica region
- Culture: Inca
- Medium: Wood, paint
- Dimensions: H. 51 x W. 2 7/8 x D. 5/8 in. (129.5 x 7.3 x 1.6 cm)
- Classification: Wood-Sculpture
- Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
- Object Number: 1979.206.1030
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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Inca artist(s)
1400–1535 CE
Inca artist(s)
1400–1535 CE
Inca artist(s)
1400–1535 CE
Inca artist(s)
1400–1535 CE
Inca artist(s)
1400–1535 CE
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