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Spatula with Carved Lizard
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Peruvian Indians today regard coca leaf as a sacred substance that creates communion with supernatural forces. The leaves are chewed with powdered lime that in antiquity was stored in containers and scooped with spatulas like those seen here. Aside from its ritual meaning, coca has practical benefits: it is vitamin-rich; like coffee, it induces clear-headedness; and it increases stamina. The lizard spatula is Nasca in style.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineSpatula with Carved Lizard, 100 BCE–700 CE. Peru, South Coast, Nasca. Bone with shell inlay; overall: 11.8 x 2.6 cm (4 5/8 x 1 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1955.83
