Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chavin culture, 900 to 200 BCE. An incredibly rare find, a wooden poporo, a container for lime used in the ingestion of coca leaves. The poporo is in the form of a crouched jaguar whose spots are marked by lightly incised lines. Comes enclosed in Plexiglass due to its age and fragility. Size: 4" W x 2" H (10.2 cm x 5.1 cm)

From the earliest times, people in the Andes had a tradition of using coca leaves for ritual purposes. In the pre-Columbian period, coca leaves were ingested by placing some of the leaves in the mouth and adding a small quantity of powdered lime, ground from seashells. The poporo was often elaborately conceived, with detailed anthropomorphic and zoomorphic iconography.

The feline is the most pervasive animal in ancient Peruvian art, and it was associated symbolically with military, religious, and political leaders. The jaguar, which in life hunts by jumping at the head of its prey, may have been a symbol of decapitation - another recurring theme in the ancient Andes.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Westermann collection, Germany

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#123555

  • Condition: Wood is in a fragile condition due to age and is protected by a Plexiglass case. Some cracking to wood surface as shown in photos.

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May 25, 2017 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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