Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Spoon with Profile Face with Ornate Head Decoration
Not on view
Artists transformed relatively common materials such as bone into intricate carvings with complex imagery. The spatula bears three profile heads of mythological creatures with fangs, noses, and eyebrows; the eyes are inlaid with shell. The spoon may have been used for inhaling psychoactive substances during ceremonies. When the spoon is raised to the nose, the supernatural feline carved on the handle becomes clear, with its fierce fangs and a serpent eye in direct view.
Los artistas transformaron materiales relativamente comunes tales como hueso en elaboradas esculturas con imágenes complejas. La espátula de hueso presenta tres cabezas de perfil de seres mitológicos con colmillos cruzados, narices y cejas; los ojos están hechos con incrustaciones de concha. La cuchara puede haber sido utilizada durante actos ceremoniales para inhalar psicotrópicos. Al posicionar la cuchara cerca de la nariz del inhalador, aparece claramente la figura del felino sobrenatural esculpida en el mango, con sus temibles colmillos. Directamente en el campo visual aparece también el ojo de una serpiente.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
