Description:

Pre-Columbian, Chile, San Pedro, Atacama Desert, Tiahuanaco (Tiwanaku), ca. 400 to 700 CE. A stunning ritualistic wooden snuff tube carved in the form of a stylized feline creature and inlaid with turquoise stones. The head has pointed ears resting flat against the skull, and blunt snout inlaid with turquoise shards as teeth. A drilled opening that leads through the tube, is cut into the chin of the animal and a second inhalation hole is bored through the tubular end. The limbs and tail are carved in low relief and turquoise flakes are placed throughout like the spots of a jaguar's coat. Wooden inhalation tubes like this example are found in burials alongside wooden spatulas, 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: 11" L x 1" W (27.9 cm x 2.5 cm); 2.5" H (6.4 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, before 2010; ex-Ian Arundel collection, California, USA, the Old Curiosity Cabinet, Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, California, USA, collected 1950-1970

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#173452

  • Condition: Losses and chips to some stone inlays. Stable pressure fissures and striations, otherwise intact. Choice condition.

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September 1, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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