Staff of a dignitary with two feather-covered bird figures
This staff of a dignitary with two feather-covered bird figures was probably a status symbol or dignity mark. In pre-Columbian Peru, the feathers of tropical birds were preferred to express an elevated social status. On the desert-like Peruvian coast from which this staff originated, animals from the tropical regions of the Amazon were symbols of rain and fertility. The high-ranking members of society had important religious functions and were responsible for the punctual start of the rainy season by means of rituals to gain the favour of the gods.
- Data Provider
- Linden-Museum Stuttgart Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde Show original at data provider
Cataloguing data
- Cultural attribution
- Inka-Kultur
- Object type
- Status symbol
- Dimensions
- Length: 28 cm
- Material/Technique
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Wood, Spring
carved, glued
- Current location
- Linden-Museum Stuttgart
- Inventory number
- M 30114
Provenance and sources
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Assignment to a curated holding:
-
Production
-
when
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14th - 16th century AD.
-
-
Change of physical control or legal title
-
where
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Peru
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-
Change of physical control
-
when
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1964
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- Provenance
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This object does not have a confirmed provenance.
Information about the record
- Legal status metadata
- CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED
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