Artwork Page for Snuff Spoon (intshengula or izintshengula)

Details / Information for Snuff Spoon (intshengula or izintshengula)

Snuff Spoon (intshengula or izintshengula)

late 1800s

Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style maker

Medium
bone
Measurements
Overall: 17.8 cm (7 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Dori and Daniel Rootenberg, Jacaranda Tribal, New York 2010.234
Public Domain
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Location
108B Southern African
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Did You Know?

Such spoons were typically worn as ornaments in the hair or even the beard, signaling the social standing of their wearer.

Description

Often, snuff spoons made from the rib of an ox or cow were subtly carved to suggest a female body. Decorated with incised designs blackened with cattle fat and ash, many are true hybrid objects, combining a spoon with a long-tined comb or hairpin. Such spoons were typically worn as ornaments in the hair or even the beard, thus signaling the social standing of their wearer.
A cream-colored bone implement, a slender pipe, consists of a flared bowl atop a tiny foot. A curved neck, detailed with a dark etched geometric pattern, joins the bowl to a long handle that thins to a fine point. The entire object has a uniform ivory tone and a smooth, matte texture.

Snuff Spoon (intshengula or izintshengula)

late 1800s

Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style maker

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