Snuff Tray with Canine-human figure
Unknown Tiwanaku artist, Bolivia or northern Chile. Snuff Tray with Canine-Human figure, 400–800 CE. Wood, shell, and turquoise, 1 ⅞ x 2 ⅜ x 7 ⅛ inches. Denver Art Museum Collection: Funds from Jan and Frederick R. Mayer, Lorraine and Harley Higbie, and Alianza de las Artes Americanas, 2000.200.
Snuff Tray with Canine-human figure
Tiwanaku
About A.D. 400–800
Northern Chile
Wood, shell, turquoise
Purchased with funds from Jan and Frederick R. Mayer, Lorraine and Harley Higbie, and
Alianza de las Artes Americanas, 2000.200
Snuff trays were used by the people of ancient Tiwanaku for the ritual mixing and inhalation of hallucinogenic snuff. This example has the typical rectangular mixing area, while the handle is in the form of a three-dimensional figure that combines both human and animal attributes. The upright posture is human, while the head is that of a canine. The figure wears an upper body garment with long hanging panels that resemble the wings and tail of a bird. This subject matter is unusual, and may represent either a costumed deity impersonator, or a shaman.
- "Tiwanaku: Ancestors of the Inca," Denver Art Museum, 10/16/2004 - 1/23/2005
- “Stampede: Animals in Art” — Denver Art Museum, 9/10/2017
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