Jaguar Head

Description

In this sculpture, Estela Dagua reinterpreted the form of a jaguar head kero—a kind of Inca drinking cup—like the one next to it. Such keros were created centuries earlier by Inca artists after the Spanish invasion of their empire. Although Canelos Quichua communities speak Quechua, an Inca language, exactly how Dagua became familiar with these older Inca objects is unknown. Her works include both traditional Amazonian ceramic forms and works that draw on contemporary inspirations—like the movie Godzilla.

Provenance

Estela Dagua (Jacinta Esthela Dagua Malaber, 1951–?), Puyo, Ecuador, 1989; sold to the Sacha Runa Research Foundation, Urbana, IL, 1989 [according to correspondence from Norman Whitten, President, Sacha Runa Research Foundation, in curatorial object file]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2020.

Jaguar Head

Canelos Quichua

1989

Accession Number

256302

Medium

Ceramic, pigment, and shinquillu lacquer, possibly from the Brazilian Elemi (Protium heptophyllum)

Dimensions

19.1 × 19.1 × 15.2 cm (7 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 6 in.)

Classification

N/A

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Arnold H. Crane Endowment Fund