Description:

Pre-Columbian, Chile, Proto-Nazca culture, ca. 500 BCE to 1 BCE. A hand-carved wooden spatula for use when ingesting snuff, in the form of a highly abstract sea turtle with notched legs and a rounded head. This item was part of the drug paraphernalia employed by many people in the Atacama Desert region of ancient Chile. Wooden spatulas like this one are found in burials alongside tubes for inhaling, snuff trays, mortars and pestles, and other items for the ingestion of snuff. The mixture, prepared from resin, leaves, and ground seeds, was used in part to induce a hallucinogenic state for shamanic ritual. Size: 1.5" W x 5.5" H (3.8 cm x 14 cm)

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

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#123553

  • Condition: Patina on wood surface from age/wear. Form is clear.

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

Artemis Fine Arts

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