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Snuff Tablet
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Both of these objects feature a creature known as the "Recuay feline," although it could also refer to a fox, dog, or viscacha (a rodent). Whatever its identity, the prominent crest on its head ties it to the supernatural realm, a connection underlined by the deity head that also appears on the dipper and by the ritual function of snuff tablets, which were used to inhale hallucinogenic snuffs during religious ceremonies.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineSnuff Tablet, 1–650 CE. Peru, North Highlands, Recuay style. Wood with gold foil; overall: 12.4 x 3 x 1.1 cm (4 7/8 x 1 3/16 x 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Sundry Purchase Fund, 1996.303
