Antique Copper Spoon

This ia a large copper engraved spoon I purchased today. I think it's from India and it measures about 16" long and it screws together. The handle top section is hollow and it has metal beads or something in it and it rattles. Does anyone else know any additional information about this spoon or laddle and what it may have been used for or any other info? Thanks in advance for any information.

 

Nice spoon................ that's all I got !

 

@Any Jewelry !!! Any bright ideas???

 

it kinda looks ceremonial....
but...a baby spoon & rattle......comes to mind.

 

A giant baby... 16 inches spoon

 

don't babies come in all sizes.....?

 

I hope this is bright enough:
It is a really gorgeous antique Hindu puja/pooja spoon. Puja is a ritual performed for a deity and involves water and light (like candles in Christianity). Flowers are often added as well. Water is sprinkled on a statue by means of the spoon.

My guess is the handle is detachable for travel or for storage, since it is pretty big.
Puja spoons are usually about half this size. This big one could have been made for a place of worship with many statues and worshippers.

Puja is related to the welcoming ritual for honoured guests, which is often called puja as well. It is either performed using these spoons, or with a rose water sprinkler.

During a ritual a bell is used sometimes for pure sound, the forces of good like high-pitched sounds, the forces of evil hate it. In this case the rattle could serve as a bell.

I will send you a pm.

 

Looks more like brass to me.
I think copper would be an odd choice of material but as usual I may be wrong.

 

'Er indoors says it looks like 'benares ware'. which could go along with the ritual idea but also may be tourist copy, Looks good though

 

Well, thank 'er indoors from us.
Is 'er indoors Indian?

 

Any Jewelry, thanks for the most helpfull information you have provided!

 

Sheesh!!! I was hoping maybe it was used to smuggle small gems!!!!!!

 

No, but she's had some stuff like this in the past and she knows stuff about most things

 

I think 'er indoors term is spot on. So much of this was made in Benares/Varanasi.

 

It's made of copper, not brass, with an old worn off tin coating. There is a small brass color area inside the spoon bowl perhaps the result of the tin melting or fusing with the copper. If you zoom into the screw area on the handle you can clearly see it's made of copper.