Description:

Pre-Columbian, Huari/Wari culture, Peru, ca. 6th to 9th century CE. A delightful bone cylinder container called a poporo, hollowed out to hold powdered lime, part of the accoutrement of ingesting coca. The exterior of the cylinder has been incised with a complex pattern - a wide register of anthropomorphic and feline heads ring the upper third of the poporo. The lower two-thirds has a tight pattern of diamonds inside of larger diamonds, stippled to create further decoration, a design sometimes interpreted as symbolizing raindrops. The makers drilled two round perforations through the piece to make the material within more accessible. Size: 1" W x 3" H (2.5 cm x 7.6 cm)

Feline heads are some of the most iconographically important, and therefore common, artistic themes on drug paraphernalia from this region. They are associated with the use of psychoactive substances that could "transform" a shaman or priest into a feline.

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

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#123898

  • Condition: Wear to surface as shown from age and handling.

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

Artemis Fine Arts

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