The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Lime Dipper

Lime Dipper

c. 1–800 CE
gold
Overall: 22.8 cm (9 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1947.30
Location: 233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region

Description

Coca-leaf chewing was a widespread ritual in ancient South America. Utensils included a container and a dipper or spoon for powdered lime (made from seashells), added to the coca to enhance its gentle, stimulating effect. Colombian cultures are especially known for transforming these utensils into works of art made of precious metal. The image on the tallest dipper is wonderfully complex. A serpent coils at the bottom, beneath a snarling animal with a huge, vertical tail. This animal has a tiny monkey on its back; the monkey also has a huge tail, which rests on the first animal’s head like a headdress. This intricate image was created with the lost-wax casting process.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 295 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 295 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 398 archive.org
  • Treasures of Peruvian Gold. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 23-April 3, 1966).
    Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; February 23-April 3, 1966. "Treasures of Peruvian Gold."
    New York, NY: Museum of Modern Art; January 26-March 26, 1954. "Ancient Arts of the Andes." exh. cat., repr. in black and white, p. 142, fig. 164.
    Cincinnati, OH: The Taft Museum; October 6-November 19, 1950. "Ancient American Gold and Jade." cat.no. 71, pg. 19, black and white repr.
    Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art: November 9, 1945- January 6, 1946. "Art of the Americas."
  • {{cite web|title=Lime Dipper|url=false|author=|year=c. 1–800 CE|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.30