Description:

Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca culture, ca. 100 BCE to 800 CE. A charming hand-carved wooden tube for use when ingesting snuff, in the form of a highly abstract lizard with notched legs on top and a rounded head near the base. This item was part of the drug paraphernalia employed by many people in ancient Peru. Wooden inhalation tubes like this example are found in burials along side 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 statue for shamanic rituals. Size: 1.125" W x 4.75" H (2.9 cm x 12.1 cm); 5.7" H (14.5 cm) on included custom stand.

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

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#145266

  • Condition: Loss to tip of interior rod. Minor abrasions to upper and lower tips. Light earthen deposits and fine patina throughout.

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February 27, 2020 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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