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Bird-Shaped Container
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 deities. 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 and, like coffee, induces clear-headedness. The lizard spatula is Nasca; the other two are Wari.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineBird-Shaped Container, 500–900. Peru, Wari style (500-900). Wood; overall: 8.4 cm (3 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund, 1989.66
