Indian Oil Spoon with Naga Handle

A long thin handle with a shallow cup, built for careful pouring.

This brass oil spoon with a naga handle is from Karnataka, South India, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. Long-handled spoons are used in Hindu ritual to pour oil or ghee into lamps and to make offerings without touching the contents. Up close, a small round bowl sits at one end of a slender rod. The rod carries a knotted collar and ribbing near the bowl. The far end flares into a leaf shaped tip. The finish is dark and smooth, with a soft brown tone. It is 1 inches wide, 0.75 deep and 6 high.

Quietly elegant, and never in a rush.