Graziella Laffi
Kero (Drinking Vessel)circa 1970-1980

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Graziella Laffi
Italy, active Peru, 1923-2009
Title: Kero (Drinking Vessel)
Place Made: Peru, Lima
Date Made: circa 1970-1980
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: Height: 8 3/4 in. (22.23 cm); diameter: 7 1/16 in. (17.94 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Giannina Laffi and Manolo Morales
Accession Number: M.2014.201.5
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: The art of ancient Peru was an endless source of inspiration for Graziella Laffi. This goblet is a modern interpretation of a kero, a ceremonial drinking vessel made and used by the Inka (see, e.g., M.2010.115.485). The central motif recalls the crescent insignia that appears on helmets of ceramic figures found in Lambayeque (see M.2010.115.341).

Born in Florence, Italy, Laffi immigrated to Lima with her family in 1947, following the upheaval of World War II. She traveled extensively throughout her new homeland, developing a deep appreciation for the country’s ancient art. Laffi began working with silver, a material widely used in ancient times, adapting some of the techniques of earlier silversmiths. Her jewelry and hollowware designs combine Andean imagery with a modern visual vocabulary, and form part of a larger agenda in Peru to redefine the country’s culture and promote local traditions and themes.

Rachel Kaplan

2025

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Graziella Laffi
Italy, active Peru, 1923-2009
Title: Kero (Drinking Vessel)
Place Made: Peru, Lima
Date Made: circa 1970-1980
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: Height: 8 3/4 in. (22.23 cm); diameter: 7 1/16 in. (17.94 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Giannina Laffi and Manolo Morales
Accession Number: M.2014.201.5
Classification: Furnishings
Collecting Area: Latin American Art
Curatorial Notes: The art of ancient Peru was an endless source of inspiration for Graziella Laffi. This goblet is a modern interpretation of a kero, a ceremonial drinking vessel made and used by the Inka (see, e.g., M.2010.115.485). The central motif recalls the crescent insignia that appears on helmets of ceramic figures found in Lambayeque (see M.2010.115.341).

Born in Florence, Italy, Laffi immigrated to Lima with her family in 1947, following the upheaval of World War II. She traveled extensively throughout her new homeland, developing a deep appreciation for the country’s ancient art. Laffi began working with silver, a material widely used in ancient times, adapting some of the techniques of earlier silversmiths. Her jewelry and hollowware designs combine Andean imagery with a modern visual vocabulary, and form part of a larger agenda in Peru to redefine the country’s culture and promote local traditions and themes.

Rachel Kaplan

2025