Bag with Human Face

Description

The face on this remarkable bag is decorated with geometric designs that also appear on Wari warrior representations; the circles on the panel beneath the face may refer to an elite tunic made of tie-dyed cloth. The bag was used to carry coca leaves, which in the past and today have important practical and religious purposes in the Andes. Chewing the leaves during physical exertion improves stamina; when used ritually, the leaves initiate communion with cosmic forces.

Provenance

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Bag with Human Face

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600–1000

Accession Number

2011.35

Medium

alpaca or llama hide, human hair, pigment, cotton; coca leaf contents

Dimensions

Overall: 26.7 x 23.2 cm (10 1/2 x 9 1/8 in.); Bag: 26 cm (10 1/4 in.)

Classification

Mixed Media

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund