Object Details
- Label Text
- Zulu snuff spoons were frequently carved from the rib bones of oxen or cows. Incised designs, like the minimal fine lines on this spoon, were blackened with fat and ash. These spoons were used to take snuff from a container or to remove sweat from the brow.
- Description
- Bone spoon with oval bowl and flat handle ending in a slanted point, with an incised and blackened decoration of 4 dots bordered by 2 lines at the bowl end of the handle.
- Provenance
- Michael Graham-Stewart, London, -- to 1989
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Zulu artist
- Date
- Early to mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Acquisition grant from the James Smithson Society
- Medium
- Bone, pigment
- Dimensions
- L x W x D: 16.1 x 1.8 x 0.9 cm (6 5/16 x 11/16 x 3/8 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
