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Source 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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
125349
label
Lime Dipper
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
125349
contentType
object
title
Lime Dipper
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.
date
c. 1–800 CE
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60778476
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 22.8 cm (9 in.)
cul
Colombia, Calima region, Yotoco style
accession
1947.3
Source extras
tec
gold
tombstone
Lime Dipper, c. 1–800 CE. Colombia, Calima region, Yotoco style. Gold; overall: 22.8 cm (9 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1947.30
collection
AA - Intermediate Region
formerAccessionNumbers
2035.1945
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 295
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 295
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 398
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:28:36.270000
sourceId
125349
dept
Art of the Americas
coll
AA - Intermediate Region
med
gold
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
30466a743ce4f74f