This snuff spoon is formed from a slender tapering length of horn with no indentation between the handle and the elongated oval bowl. The simple but elegant form has been highlighted by a painted red geometric design. It would have been used as both a spoon and a hair ornament.
Such spoons were carved and formed by male specialists. A suitably sized section of ox or cow horn was heated, the basic form was then cut. The bowl was created by heating the horn and pressing the softened horn around a stone or other mold.
Provenance: David Lewin, UK
