Chavin Stone Ritual Drug Spoon

Lot 35

About Seller

686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States

Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more

Bid Increments

Price	Bid Increment
$0	$25
$300	$50
$1,000	$100
$2,000	$250
$5,000	$500
$10,000	$1,000
$20,000	$2,500
$50,000	$5,000
$100,000	$10,000
$200,000	$20,000

About Auction

Pre-Columbian | Tribal | Ethnographic by Artemis Gallery

Live

Pre-Columbian | Tribal | Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Apr 25, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-04-25 10:00:00 2019-04-25 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Pre-Columbian | Tribal | Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/pre-columbian-tribal-ethnographic-4035 Featuring ancient and ethnographic art from around the world, including Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal, Ethnographic, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, Fine Art, much more. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

View Full Catalog (415)

Lot Description

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chavin, Lemon-Carro, ca. 1200 to 500 BCE. An incredibly rare artifact, a jade-like creamy white stone spoon for use in the taking of hallucinogenic drugs as part of shamanic rituals. The spoon handle is carved and incised with a step design in the form of a pyramid. On the back of the bowl, incised motifs show an abstract jaguar head in profile, with a serpent tongue protruding from its mouth. The chimera-like figure symbolizes the transformation that a person underwent by ingesting the drugs prepared with this spoon. Red cinnabar pigment colors the interior of the incised lines. Size: 3.35" W x 1.7" H (8.5 cm x 4.3 cm); 3.5" H (8.9 cm) on included custom stand.

The Chavin people lived in the northern Highland Andes, and their capital, Chavin de Huantar, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The artwork of Chavin represents the first widespread style in the Andes. The center of Chavin de Huantar is a massive, flat-topped pyramid, surrounded by lower platforms. Between 1200 and 500 BCE the pyramid space was used for religious ceremonies. The Old Temple, constructed very early in the history of the site, consists of a series of passageways built around a circular courtyard; within were carved stone monuments showing jaguars, serpents, and other figures with transformative and/or anthropomorphic features. At the very center is a towering stone stela depicting an anthropomorphic figure with a jaguar head and a human body, believed to be Lanzon, the chief deity of Chavin. Researchers believe that worshippers ingested hallucinogenic drugs, in part using spoons like this one, and then were led in the dark through the labyrinthine passageways before entering the central courtyard and coming abruptly face-to-face with the snarling features of the god.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private H.J. Westermann collection, Germany

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#143417

Condition

Intact, with dark manganese deposits on surface as shown. Tiny scratches, chips, and nicks commensurate with age. Old collection sticker on one side.
Shipping Info
- All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Gallery will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please inquire BEFORE bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.
Buyer's Premium
- 26.50 %