Pre-Columbian, Chile, San Pedro, Atacama Desert, Tiahuanaco / Tiwanaku, ca. 400 to 700 CE. A fabulous hand-carved wooden snuff tray known as a rapero, presenting a rectangular form with the figure of a bird over an anthropomorphic visage or maskette, both adorned in red and blue shell inlays. The avian creature sits with wings tucked to the sides as it stretches his head forward, displaying blue shell eyes and extending its lengthy beak over the maskette to point towards the recessed basin of the tray. The expressive face features target motif eyes of red shell inlay, a straight nose, and a huge, open mouth, all surrounded by 4 annular, red shell inlays. Size: 7.4" L x 2.3" W x 1.6" H (18.8 cm x 5.8 cm x 4.1 cm); 4.1" H (10.4 cm) on included custom stand.According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Snuff inhaled through tubes from small trays or tablets was common in the southern Andes where hallucinogen use was widespread… In the Atacama region of northern Chile, the highest concentration of wooden snuff trays has been found in burials in association with other paraphernalia, such as inhaling tubes, spatulas, small mortars and pestles, and snuff powder containers. The snuff, prepared from leaves, resin, and seeds of various plants dried and finely ground, was used to cure various ailments, to alleviate pain and conditions associated with high altitudes, to provide alertness in war and hunting, and to induce trances during rituals and ceremonies." Provenance: ex-Splendors of the World, Haiku, Hawaii, USA, before 2010 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #173456