Bird-Shaped Container
Unknown Artist
500–900
Medium
wood
Dimensions
h. 8.4 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund
Accession Number
1989.66
About this artwork
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.