The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Feline Mortar

Feline Mortar

700–1 BCE
(?), Chavín style (900-200 BCE)
stone, pigment
Overall: 5.8 x 11 cm (2 5/16 x 4 5/16 in.)
In memory of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Humphreys, gift of their daughter Helen 1957.494.a
Location: 232 Andean

Description

Size suggests that this Chavín-style mortar was not used to grind bulky staples like corn, but instead pigments or plant hallucinogens used in religious rites to achieve spiritual insight and communion with cosmic forces. This may come from Pacopampa, a site in the northern highlands where elites adopted Chavín deities and worshiped them alongside local deities. These small sculptures illustrate the appeal and the spread of Chavín religion.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, March 1958. 93
  • Treasures of Peruvian Gold. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 23-April 3, 1966).
    New York, NY: The Museum of Primitive Art; February 21- May 13, 1962. "Gods with Fangs."
    Art of Chavin. The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, NY (organizer) (February 20-March 31, 1962).
  • {{cite web|title=Feline Mortar|url=false|author=|year=700–1 BCE|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1957.494.a