Long Tube, Possbly for Lime, in the Form of an Animal Possibly 1450 - 1532

This is a small, unknown date, Inca animal form tube, possibly used for lime. It’s made with meticulous care, showing an abstract elongated animal, carved from a material of warm, earthy tones. The piece has an intriguing formal structure. The body of the animal transitions into a cylindrical form, creating a tension between organic representation and geometric abstraction. There is a play with the tubular shape which might have been influenced by the material constraints, while adding a symbolic dimension linking the animal form to ritualistic functions. Such a piece destabilizes the usual separation between art and utility. In structuralist terms, it operates within a cultural ‘grammar’, where the combination of animal form and functional design conveys symbolic meanings related to belief systems. Ultimately, the piece invites us to consider how its form and construction are not merely aesthetic choices but are deeply enmeshed with the cultural and functional imperatives of its time.