Indian Oil Spoon with Spear Top

Stood upright on a black stand, this slim ladle looks like a tiny lamppost.

This brass oil spoon with a spear top is from Karnataka, South India, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. Karnataka has a long tradition of brass and bronze work, and metal vessels and tools were made for household and temple use across southern India. Tall slender handle with a spear-shaped finial at the top and a small bowl below, joined by openwork leaf shapes. The warm bronze surface is mellow and slightly mottled. A black plinth holds it vertical. It is 1 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 6.75 high.

Elegant on a stand, practical in the hand.