Featured Identification help needed - treen spoon / ladle

I’m having very little success identifying this treen item. It’s either a large spoon or small ladle, carved from a single piece of wood (sycamore?). Underneath the bowl are the letters POR (initials?) and the date 1790. Of course, I cannot be sure this item actually dates back this far. If anyone knows what this is and, where in the world it comes from, and/or if it is really more than 200 years old, I would be very grateful if you would share this information!

 

What is the size,it looks like a kuksa cup though similar cups were carved in a number of countries.

 

It’s about five inches long, including the handle.

 

I think you may be right about this being a kuksa. The chip carving does look Scandinavian, and I’m finding images of kuksa that are quite similar in shape and size. Thank you for your help!

 

Children's size.

 

Well used & showing nice age!!

 

Having a year on anything mid 19th century and back adds a good deal of value. For that reason you’ve got to be pretty skeptical as a rule I think. Fakers love putting years on stuff. It doesn’t look 230 years old to me, but it doesn’t not look 230 years old either. That’s a tough one! Cool item!!

 

Thanks, J Dagger. This is a tough one! Here are a few more pics, in case they’re helpful. I can’t imagine how tricky it must be to carve something like this from burl wood.

 

Hard to tell if it's birch burl or flame birch. Quickly video showing hand carving.

 

Thanks, Hollyblue. Considering how the grain runs in every direction, I think this has to be birch burl.

 

I'm not sure your spoon is a kuksa. Kuksa is a Finnish word, used for the "spoon" that is a traditional Saami cup.

Since the Saami are the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia (sometimes called Lappland), and live therefore in four different countries, there could be a slight variety of styles of kuksa, but the ones I've seen didn't have the chip carving decoration on them, and have a different end shape for the handle, which is also a little shorter in relation to the bowl, than this.

The chip carving could be from many different cultures, since, as already pointed out, wooden spoons are made all over. I've seen chip carving decorated spoons from eastern Europe to India.

Saami spoons (especially the ones made from reindeer antlers) are one of the many things I collect, and I do have a few kuksa, but nothing just like this.

 

Thank you, Taupou! Your message comes right after someone else suggested that this might be a voyageur’s “canoe cup”. This theory makes sense to me considering the date on the cup, which is right in the fur trade era, the style and decoration, and where it was found (eastern Ontario, Canada).

 

Just found this belt or canoe cup, in a museum collection. It’s interesting to me because it’s made from similar burl wood, is about the same size, and also has triangle chip carved decoration on the handle. It seems these canoe cups were made in a huge range of shapes and styles!

 

Your latest online find with similar chip carving is very interesting!