Description:

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Paracas culture, ca. 500 to 100 BCE. A tapering bone spatula, carved with a finial in the form of a jaguar. Below the finial are incised lines, spiked and wavy, with stippling, which some researchers believe symbolize irrigation canals and raindrops. This spatula was used for extracting lime from a container as part of the elaborate shamanic ritual of ingesting hallucinogenic drugs. Size: 1" W x 8" H (2.5 cm x 20.3 cm)

Spatulas were part of the elaborate battery of objects carefully manufactured by ancient Andeans in order to ingest hallucinogenic drugs. We know of them from burials, where they were placed as offerings and perhaps to provision the dead alongside inhalation tubes and other paraphernalia. 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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#123905

  • Condition: Deep patina from age and handling. Wear on face.

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June 8, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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