ticketsMember | Make a donation

Spoon with figure

ca. 1490–1530
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 341
Ivory spoons from present-day Sierra Leone feature prominently in Portuguese trade inventories from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Carefully carved, with virtually translucent bowls and delicate handles, such miniatures were designed primarily for display. This is one of fewer than a dozen fragile creations known to have survived in documented collections. The carver played with repetition of form by mirroring the oblong head and slender torso of the figure in the shapes of the spoon’s bowl and handle.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Spoon with figure
  • Artist: Temne or Bullom artist(s)
  • Date: ca. 1490–1530
  • Geography: Sierra Leone
  • Culture: Temne or Bullom
  • Medium: Ivory
  • Dimensions: H. 3/4 x W. 1 11/16 x D. 8 7/8 in. (1.9 x 4.3 x 22.6 cm)
  • Classification: Bone/Ivory-Implements
  • Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.206.116
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 2 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Lidded saltcellar, Temne or Bullom artist(s), Ivory, Temne or Bullom
Lidded saltcellar
Temne or Bullom artist(s)
ca. 1490–1530
Oliphant (side-blown horn), Temne or Bullom artist(s), Ivory, Temne or Bullom
Oliphant (side-blown horn)
Temne or Bullom artist(s)
ca. 1490–1530

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Temne or Bullom artist(s) - Spoon with figure - Temne or Bullom - The Metropolitan Museum of Art