Proto-Nazca Gourd Poporo w/ Bone Dipper

**Originally Listed At $400**

Pre-Columbian, Chile, Proto-Nazca culture, ca. 500 BCE to 1 BCE. A poporo, a container for lime used in the ingestion of coca leaves, made from a double-bodied gourd. A dipper made from camelid bone and capped with the end of the bone carved into an owl shape fits neatly into the opening of the poporo. In the pre-Columbian period, coca leaves were ingested by placing some of the leaves in the mouth and adding a small quantity of powdered lime, ground from seashells. The poporo and dipper were often elaborately conceived, with figural forms. Size: 1.95" W x 4.8" H (5 cm x 12.2 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; H.J. Westermann Collection, Germany formed between 1950 and 1970

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#148484
Condition Report: Rich patina on bone surface. Nice deposits on both bone and gourd. Signs of wear commensurate with age, but both are in nice condition.