Indian Oil Spoon with Spear Top

Gray-brown and slightly flat-bowled, this one keeps a low profile.

This brass oil spoon with a spear top is from Karnataka, South India, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. A spear-shaped finial is a decorative detail, and such pointed forms appear on many Indian metal objects as ornament or as symbols of protection. Shallow oval bowl with a worn edge, attached to a slender handle with ridged rings and a small pointed finial. The metal has a dull, darker tone than gilded brass, with a soft gray sheen along the shaft. It is 1 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 5.75 high.

Modest in color, precise in shape.