Snuff Spoon/Comb (intshengula or izintshengula), Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style maker, late 1800s
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
late 1800s
Snuff Spoon/Comb (intshengula or izintshengula), Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style maker, late 1800s is an object recorded by Cleveland Museum of Art, dated late 1800s.
Museum description: Often, snuff spoons made from the rib of an ox or cow were subtly carved to suggest a female body. Decorated with incised designs blackened with cattle fat and ash, many are true hybrid objects, combining a spoon with a long-tined comb or hairpin. Such spoons were typically worn as ornaments in the hair or even the beard, thus signaling the social standing of their wearer. The museum record gives material recorded as Bone; measurements Overall: 15.2 cm (6 in.); place associated: Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style maker.
These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Such spoons were typically worn as ornaments in the hair or even the beard, signaling the social standing of their wearer.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Bone
- Dimensions
- Overall: 15.2 cm (6 in.)
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Sculpture
- Place recorded
- Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style maker
Identification
- Museum attribution
- Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Zulu-style maker
- Museum object name
- Snuff Spoon/Comb (intshengula or izintshengula)
- Museum object number
- 2010.233
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the museum record and a specialist reference.