# Backrest of a Litter

- Date: 1185–1275 (radiocarbon date, 95.4% probability)
- Medium: mixed media: wood, gold alloy, pigment, shell inlay
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: Overall: 60.4 x 95 cm (23 3/4 x 37 3/8 in.)
- Culture: Central Andes, North Coast, Chimú people, late Intermediate period
- Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1952.233)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1952.233/1952.233_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

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.