id:			129799
accession number:	1952.233
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1952.233
updated:		2019-04-22 10:29:17.202000

Backrest of a Litter, 900-1470. Central Andes, North Coast, Chimú people, Late Intermediate Period (AD 900 - 1470). Mixed media:  wood, gold alloy, pigment, shell inlay; overall: 60.4 x 95 cm (23 3/4 x 37 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1952.233

title:				Backrest of a Litter
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			900-1470
creation date earliest:		900
creation date latest:		1470
current location:		232 Andean
creditline:			John L. Severance Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Central Andes, North Coast, Chimú people, Late Intermediate Period (AD 900 - 1470)
technique:	mixed media:  wood, gold alloy, pigment, shell inlay
department:	Art of the Americas
collection:	AA - Andes
type:		Sculpture
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 60.4 x 95 cm (23 3/4 x 37 3/8 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* New York, NY: Museum of Modern Art; January 26- March 29, 1954. "Ancient Arts of the Andes." Reproduced in exhibition catalogue by Wendell Bennett (1954): 120, fig. 137.<br><br>Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; February 23- April 3, 1996. "Treasures of Peruvian Gold."

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact: 


digital description: 


wall description: 
This rare, dramatic object served as the back support of a litter carried by human porters, a mode of transport reserved for honored members of many societies without draft animals or wheeled vehicles. The simple, bold figures-perhaps a Chimú lord and four officials-all wear wide collars, tunics, and crescent headdresses that are either brightly painted or covered with golden but now-corroded sheet metal. The holes at the bottom probably served as lashing points for a beam that supported the litter's seat. Susan E. Bergh, PhD, Associate Curator, Art of the Ancient Americas, 2002
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 351
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958#page=67

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 299
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966#page=323

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 299
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969#page=323

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 403
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978#page=423

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1952.233/1952.233_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1952.233/1952.233_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1952.233/1952.233_full.tif