Mortar Flanked by Two Felines

Date

600-300 BCE

Creator

The robust design of this rectangular mortar was executed with minimal removal of the stone matrix to create a very sturdy sculpture of great visual power. Two massive felines on the sides lower their heads, stand four-square, and extend their tails in order to connect as much of their bodies as possible to the walls, whose battered rims provide ample evidence that durable handles were needed to reinforce the structure and hold the mortar in place while grinding was done. The presence of the felines suggests a ritual use for this mortar, perhaps for grinding plants used to induce visions of shamans. Enlarged heads, emphasized as the seats of consciousness and power, complement this suggestion and also present a duality seen on the heads and bodies of the felines depicted in the limited number of pieces of this type. One animal has a small eye, bared teeth with fangs, and a slightly swayed back, while the other has a large eye, a tongue sticking out between its teeth, and a slightly humped back. The nature of this duality may be life/death, but there is no specific mention of these duality features in the literature. from O'Grady, Myth & Melancholy: The Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. O'Grady Collection of Southern Cone Art (Notre Dame, 2014)