Kanál - Buffalo horn - Kelet-Timor

Zoomorphic figure spoon.
Timor Island, Indonesia.
First half of the 20th century.
Brown buffalo horn.
H: 27 cm; L: 6 cm.

Large spoon in carved brown horn on handle with zoomorphic figure and geometric patterns open and incised on both sides.
It consists of a large bowl with a long flat tapered handle. The latter is made of three differently carved parts.
The first part consists of a column with triangular sections. On both sides, two patterns with open volutes. The second part is oval with a bent edge, marked with a cross in the centre and topped by a disc. The last part is the most sophisticated: on top of a square with open volutes, the profile of a crested bird with its beak resting on a six-feather tail is sculpted.

The bird symbolizes the link between Heaven and Earth.
Ref. 2360.