Sami
Lapland, Finland
19th century
Reindeer horn
Height 4 5/8"
Provenance: Private collection, Helsinki, Finland
This Sami spoon is carved from reindeer horn, the handle rising to a human head with a calm, downturned face. The shaft below is worked with a pierced openwork lattice of crossed bands and drilled dots, and the bowl is engraved with a standing reindeer above a groundline. The carving is worked entirely by hand throughout.
Horn spoons of this kind were carried by every Sami in a small bag at the belt. They were also sent to silver workshops in southern Norway and northern Sweden, where they served as models for the silver spoons the Sami used to eat with. A figural example carved with a head and an engraved reindeer is an uncommon survival of the form.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Sami
Lapland, Finland
19th century
Reindeer horn
Height 4 5/8"
Provenance: Private collection, Helsinki, Finland
This Sami spoon is carved from reindeer horn, the handle rising to a human head with a calm, downturned face. The shaft below is worked with a pierced openwork lattice of crossed bands and drilled dots, and the bowl is engraved with a standing reindeer above a groundline. The carving is worked entirely by hand throughout.
Horn spoons of this kind were carried by every Sami in a small bag at the belt. They were also sent to silver workshops in southern Norway and northern Sweden, where they served as models for the silver spoons the Sami used to eat with. A figural example carved with a head and an engraved reindeer is an uncommon survival of the form.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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