Ritual Spoon in the Form of a Bound Oryx

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Ritual Spoon in the Form of a Bound Oryx

Period New Kingdom Period (Ancient Egyptian, 1550–1070 BCE)

Dynasty Dynasty 18 (Ancient Egyptian, 1550–1295 BCE)

Place of OriginEgypt

Dateabout 1350 BCE

Dimensions1 7/8 × 3 7/8 × 3/8 in. (4.8 × 9.8 × 1 cm)

MediumGlazed composite (possibly Egyptian blue or faience).

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1953.152

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionThis compact, handleless vessel is carved in the form of a bound oryx antelope lying on its side. Its legs are tightly trussed beneath the body with rope, and its mouth is open, revealing a protruding tongue. The bowl is recessed into one side of the animal’s body, following its contours. Openwork details define the ears, horns, and limbs. The surface is coated in blue-green glaze, with areas of discoloration. There is a small crack below the mouth.

Label TextBound at the legs and mouth agape, this carefully sculpted oryx antelope seems caught in a moment of ritual drama. Its body forms a shallow bowl, likely intended to hold small quantities of unguents or pigment. Such trussed animal vessels, often termed "offering spoons", were particularly popular in the late 18th Dynasty, with known examples from the royal harem town of Gurob and elite Theban burials. While practical in form, they were also rich in meaning: the bound oryx, its tongue protruding, echoes sacrificial offerings to gods or the deceased.Published ReferencesThe Toledo Museum of Art, A Guide to the Collections, 1966, repr.

Whitaker, Irwin, Crafts and Craftsmen, Dubuque, Iowa, 1967, repr. (b&w), fig. 4, p. 17.

Luckner, Kurt T., "The Art of Egypt, Part 2," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, new series, vol. 14, no.3, Fall 1971, p. 66, repr. fig. 7.

Kozloff, Arielle P., and Elisabeth Delange, Egypt’s Dazzling Sun: Amenhotep III and His World, Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1992, Cat no. 72, repr., p. 344. Houlihan, Patrick F., The animal world of the pharaohs, Cairo, 1996, p. 46, fig. 38, p. 48.

Spurr, Stephen, Nicholas Reeves, and Stephen Quirke, Egyptian Art at Eton College: Selections from the Myers Museum, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999, p. 31.

Quaegebeur, Jan, and Nadine Cherpion, ed., La naine et le bouquetin, ou, L’énigme de la barque en albâtre de Toutankhamon, Leuven, Peeters, 1999, n. 58.

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 64, repr. (col.).

Bulté, Jeanne, “Cuillers d'offrandes en faïence et en pierre, messagères de bien-être et de prospérité,” Revue d'égyptologie, vol. 59, 2008, p. 9, n. 57.

Strandberg, Åsa, The Gazelle in Ancient Egyptian Art: Image and Meaning, Uppsala, University of Uppsala, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, 2009, p. 13.

Peck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 58, repr. (col.).

Eissa, Seham El Sayed, “White Oryx in Ancient Egypt,” Journal of Tourism, Hotels and Heritage, vol. 4, no. 2, June 2022, pp. 143–202, p. 191.

Exhibition HistoryOberlin, Allen Memorial Museum, Spring and Summer, 1952.

Boston, Museum of Fine Arts; Houston, Houston Museum of Natural Science; Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery, Egypt's Golden Age: The Art of Living in the New Kingdom 1558-1085 B.C., 1982-1983, no. 256, p. 212, repr. p. 213.

Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art; Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum; Paris, Galeries Nationales Du Grand Palais, Egypt’s Dazzling Sun: Amenhotep III and His World, July 1992 – May 1993. Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, The Egypt Experience: Secrets of the Tomb, October 29, 2010-January 8, 2012.