Tuesday 9 April 2019

Q.0007: Ivory Spoon from the Kuba Kingdom


Figure 1 (photo taken by author, 2019) 
Q.0007 is 22 cm long and comprised of a ladle and handlecarved from one piece of elephant ivory about 200 years ago in the Kuba Kingdom, Africa 
 
 
Description, Materials, and Construction:  

Figure 2 (photo taken by author, 2019) 
The photo on the left shows the spoon under UV light--the whitish-blue glow confirms this is elephant ivory (Espinoza and Mann 2009, 10). The photo on the right shows clear examples of the cross-hatching found in elephant ivory (taken with DinoLite microscope at x50 magnification)  

Q.007 was carved by scrapping away the ivory into the desired shape, presumably with a float and a chisel (Okada 1981, 9). One can still clearly see the carving marks left behind by the tool when looking at the edges of the ladle. These various scratch marks have been filled and stained overtime, leaving behind brown steaks called patina (Smithsonian Institution 2019, 1) (Figure 3). The handle was decorated by the carver with two shafts joining together at the end of the handle in a triangular shape. this triangular motif was the continued on the two shafts by the carver as he lined the outer edges of the shafts with two layers of triangles (Figure 4). 

Figure 3 (photo taken by author with DinoLite microscope at x50 magnification, 2019) 
The picture on the left shows the joining of the handle to the ladle; clear chisel marks can be seen here. Similarly, on the right, one can see the carving marks left behind and filled with patina as the ivory aged.  

Context, Biography, and Significance:  


This spoon is from the Material Culture Room collection at the University College London. It came from the Kuba Kingdom in modern day Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. This was carved and collected during the Belgian occupation of central Africa in the 19th century. How it became part of the MCR collection is unknown.  

Several of the Kuba Kingdom tribes were known to have carved these types of spoons, but this particular one most likely was carved by the Bongo or Boa tribes (Claessens 2013, 1). These spoons were used in rituals by lower-ranking members of the tribe in order to 'feed' higher-ranking men (Volper 2014, 2).  

The size of the ladle of the spoon, along with the angle and depth of it, made it impractical for actual use. Ivory is and was a valuable commodity, so it would not be practical to use these spoons for everyday use but rather in a ritual or ceremonial setting. Now, housed in the MCR, we show respect for both the object and the Kuba Kingdom by ensuring the spoon does not become dirty and stays intact (Australia ICOMOS 2013, 5).  

Assessment of Condition: 



Figure 4 (photo taken by author, 2019) 
The sides of the shafts are decorated with a triangle motif. These triangles are the only areas chipping on the spoon. 

The ivory spoon is in good condition overall. Over the past decades, the ivory has been chipped in some areas, specifically along the shafts of the handle (Figure 4). There is staining in the scrapes either from years of handling or dirt accumulation; however, the staining is part of the biography of the object and help highlight the tool marks left behind by the carver (Figure 3). However, the biggest issue with the condition of this ivory spoon is the cracking in the ivory as clearly seen in Figure 5. Ivory cracks when the temperature and relative humidity levels fluctuated dramatically overtime. In order to preserve this piece as long as possible, it is necessary to maintain the temperature and RH at appropriate levels year-round (Stone 2010, 7).  

Figure 5 (photo taken by author, 2019) 
The top of the ladle clearly shows cracking due to fluctuation in temperature and relative humidity; the cracks have been filled with dirt and oils overtime.   
  

Bibliography 

            Australia ICOMOS, 2013. The Burra Charter: the Australia ICOMOS charter for places of  
cultural significance 2013. Retrieved on 22 March 2019 from the World Wide  

               Claessens, B., 2013. Ivory spoons from the Boa revisited.  Bruno Claessens: African Art  
 Research. Retrieved on 22 March 2019 from the World Wide Web: 

Espinoza, E. and Mann, M.J., 2009. Identification guide for ivory and ivory substitutes. US Fish  and Wildlife Service. Retrieved on 22 March 2019 from the World Wide Web: https://www.cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/resources/pub/E-Ivory-guide.pdf  

               How to Clean Stuff, 2019. How to Clean Antique Ivory. Retrieved on 22 March 2019 from       
               the World Wide Web http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-clean-antique-ivory/. 

               Lowes, S., Nunn, N., Robinson, J.A., Weigel, J.L., 2017. The Evolution of Culture and  
Institutions: Evidence from the Kuba Kingdom. Econometrica 85, 1065–1091. Retrieved on 22 March 2019 from the World Wide Web: https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA14139

MCR Spreadsheets, Unit 1 and 4, provided by Echeverria, I., 2019. Material Culture Room.  

Mercier, D., 2014. Making Religious Subjects: Charting Bodily Distance and Proximity through Materials of Religious Subjectivation. UCL Ethnography Collection. Retrieved on 22  March from the World Wide Web: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ethnography-collections/2014/06/23/summer-exhibition-on-display-making-religious-subjects-charting-bodily-distance-and-proximity-through-materials-of-religious-subjectivation/ 

              Okada, B., 1981. Netsuke: Masterpieces from the Metroplitan Museum of Art. New York:  
Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications.  

              Smithsonian Institution, 2019.  The Care and Handling of Ivory Objects. Retrieved on 22 
              March  2019 from the World Wide  

             Stone, T., 2010. Care of Ivory, Bone, Horn and Antler. Canadian Conservation Institute 
             (CCI) Retrieved on  22 March 2019 from the World Wide  Web: https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation- 
             horn-antler.html  

            Volper, J., 2013. The Concave and the Convex: Ivory Spoons of the Northeastern     
            Congo. Tribal Art Magazine, no. 70. Retrieved on 22 March 2019 from the World 
            Wide Web:  http://www.tribalartmagazine.com/issue-70-sample-12. 

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