Five carved and incised bone spoons, Sámi people, late 19th/early 20th century

Lot Closed

January 14, 02:19 PM GMT

Estimate

300 - 500 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Property of a descendant of William Beckford & The Dukes of Hamilton

Five carved and incised bone spoons, Sámi people, late 19th/early 20th century

with pierced handles, two silver-metal mounted, each bowl incised with a reindeer

two 13.5cm., 13cm., 11.5cm. and 10cm. long; 5¼in., 5in., 4½in., 4in.

Probably acquired by William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton (1845-1895) or by a member of his immediate family;
Thence by descent.

The 12th Duke was known to have regularly visited the Scandinvian countries from his yacht. The Isle of Wight County Press reported on the 6th October 1894 that 'The Thistle [the Duke's steam yacht] ... arrived at Harwich on Thursday from Norway'. There were numerous other trips recorded to and from Norway.

For similar see the examples in the British Museum, London see Eu1927,0307.44 and OA.10906.

c.f. 'Peasant Art in Sweden, Lapland and Iceland', The Studio, Autumn 1910, section on Lapland, pl.6-15.

'Russian Museum of Ethnography 1902-2002', St Petersburg, 2011, p. 201, for two similar Sami spoons of the 19th century from the area of Lake Inari, Finland, collected by S. Serghel in 1907-8.