A Fine and Unusual Northern Nguni / Zulu Horn Snuff Spoon inlaid with red pigment
A Fine and Unusual Northern Nguni / Zulu Horn Snuff Spoon inlaid with red pigment
19th Century
Size : 31cm long – 12¼ ins
19th Century
Size : 31cm long – 12¼ ins
Snuff spoons were carved from horn or bone or forged in metal. They were the preserve of men who traditionally worked with these materials, and worn by them as ornaments either in the hair or in pierced ears, or suspended as a pendant from the neck. They would also often double as sweat scrappers thereby becoming slowly filled with the individual spirit of the owner. Snuff spoons were not shared and eventually could build up enough individualized spiritual power to function as an ancestral relic.
A Fine and Unusual Northern Nguni / Zulu Horn Snuff Spoon inlaid with red pigment
SOLD