Object Details
- Label Text
- Nguni frequently carved the rib bones of oxen or cows into combs and spoons. Incised designs were blackened with fat and ash for decoration. The spoons were used to take snuff from a container. The handle of this example is in the form of a comb that could be used to groom or ornament the owner's hair or beard.
- Description
- Bone spoon with a comb handle and a fine incised grid pattern with pigment between the C-form bowl and comb.
- Provenance
- Michael Graham-Stewart, London, -- to 1989
- Exhibition History
- The Art of Daily Life: Portable Objects from Southern Africa, Cleveland Museum of Art, April 17, 2011-February 26, 2012
- Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007
- Published References
- Petridis, Constantine. 2011. The Art of Daily Life: Portable Objects from Southern Africa. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art; Milan: 5 Continents Editions, pp. 59, 102, no. 35.
- 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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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
- Nguni artist
- Date
- Late 19th-early 20th century
- Credit Line
- Acquisition grant from the James Smithson Society
- Medium
- Bone, pigment
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 20 x 3.3 x 1.6 cm (7 7/8 x 1 5/16 x 5/8 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
