Funerary staff
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Surmounted by carved figures that were likely once painted in red and white, 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 designs on the staff show seabirds on two levels. On the top, two pelicans sit with their backs to each other on an architectural structure, possibly a roof or wall. At the bottom, highly geometric bird motifs alternate with spiked waves or fish, building an angular pattern. The latter design is reminiscent of those found in 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 y blanco, 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 aves marinas en dos niveles. En la parte superior, dos pelícanos aparecen sentados sobre una estructura arquitectónica, posiblemente un techo o una pared. En la parte inferior, motivos geométricos de aves se alternan con olas puntiagudas o peces, construyendo un patrón angular. Este último diseño 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 and white, 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 designs on the staff show seabirds on two levels. On the top, two pelicans sit with their backs to each other on an architectural structure, possibly a roof or wall. At the bottom, highly geometric bird motifs alternate with spiked waves or fish, building an angular pattern. The latter design is reminiscent of those found in 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 y blanco, 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 aves marinas en dos niveles. En la parte superior, dos pelícanos aparecen sentados sobre una estructura arquitectónica, posiblemente un techo o una pared. En la parte inferior, motivos geométricos de aves se alternan con olas puntiagudas o peces, construyendo un patrón angular. Este último diseño 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, South Coast
- Culture: Inca
- Medium: Wood, paint
- Dimensions: H. 62 1/4 x W. 2 5/8 x D. 1 in. (158.2 x 6.7 x 2.5 cm)
- Classification: Wood-Sculpture
- Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
- Object Number: 1979.206.1029
- 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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