Dan Wood Ceremonial Spoon

The figure holds up a bowl as large as its own body, with impressive composure.

This ceremonial spoon is Dan, from Liberia, West Africa, and dates to the 20th C. It is wood. Among the Dan, large carved spoons are traditionally associated with women of distinguished generosity and hospitality, and are often carved with human legs or figures as handles. The deep oval bowl sits atop a slender handle shaped as a standing figure, with a rounded chest, a small navel and long legs separated by a narrow gap. The wood is a dark, glossy brown, the bowl a lighter worn honey color. It is 4 inches wide, 3 deep and 17.75 high.

Hospitality, carved to stand on its own two feet.