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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
125026
label
Lime Dipper
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
125026
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
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60778702
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
cul
Colombia, Calima region, Yotoco style
accession
1946.461
Source extras
tec
gold
tombstone
Lime Dipper, c. 1–800 CE. Colombia, Calima region, Yotoco style. Gold. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Benjamin P. Bole, 1946.461
collection
AA - Intermediate Region
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 378
creditline
Gift of Mrs. Benjamin P. Bole
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:27:33.822000
sourceId
125026
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
677c8132111acc82