Ritual Spoon in the Form of a Bound Oryx
Date: about 1350 BCE
Dimensions:
1 3/4 x 3 3/4 in. (4.4 x 9.5 cm)
Medium: glazed steatite
Place of Origin: Egypt, from Akhetaten (modern Amarna)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1953.152
Label Text:Ritual spoons in the form of animals were used during funerary rituals to enhance the climax of the ceremony: the moment when the mummy was magically able to eat. Such spoons are most commonly shaped as fish, geese, or antelopes—food offerings for the gods and the deified dead. This example is carved in the form of an oryx, a species of antelope; with bound legs and tongue protruding, he has been prepared for sacrifice.
On view
In Collection(s)