Pre-Columbian, Peru, Sihuas Valley culture, ca. 400 to 700 CE. A hand-carved, wooden figural container called a poporo. The vessel is in the form of a monkey, seated and holding a large kero in its lap. Its head is detachable, forming a lid, and on its back is a curved, long tail. Its features are almost comical, with wide eyes that may once have had shell inlays and a wide mouth with bared teeth. The kero is wonderfully detailed with an incised pattern of ridges that resemble stylized mountain peaks. Size: 1.5" W x 2" H (3.8 cm x 5.1 cm)

A poporo is a container for lime used in the ingestion of coca leaves. From the earliest times, people in the Andes had a tradition of using coca leaves for ritual purposes. They were ingested by placing some of the leaves in the mouth and adding a small quantity of powdered lime, ground from seashells. The poporo was often elaborately conceived, with figural form.Monkey iconography in the Andes was associated with coca and snuff rituals. Some researchers have suggested that, because monkeys and some forms of the drug came from the Amazon Basin, they were culturally associated. For example, there are many depictions on pottery vessels of monkeys holding some kind of drug paraphernalia - a coca bag or a poporo like this one.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Butterfields (Bonhams)

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#123567

Patina on wood from touch and age, with small areas of encrustation in the lower profile areas.