Browse Items (19 total)

This steel fork has three small bells attached to its handle, which is decorated with a geometric pattern. It could be a hair ornament.

This wooden spoon is decorated with handwritten Arabic text. The spoon handle reads “In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful.” This phrase is known as Basmala, and is recited before each chapter of the Qur’an.

The main body of this object is probably made of bone, and displays two carved figures. On one side (not pictured), a meditative Buddha is carved. The opposite side shows a stupa, such as the one displayed in the book on the left. Stupas are…

Buddhist instrument with an inscription of the mantra “Om mani padme hum” (ओं मणिपद्मे हूं) in Sanskrit characters (Devanagari). The mantra is divided into six syllables (om/ m/ ani/ pa/ dme/ hum), and it starts where the pendant is attached. At the…

A steel hand bell features a figure with a hat, holding what it seems to be a pan flute (multiple pipes in increasing length). It could be from South or Central America, where pan flutes are a common instrument.

These two baskets are especially important for the Harari people of eastern Ethiopia. They are part of a dowry set that a bride must bring to her wedding ceremony. A traditional Harari set today consists of fifteen baskets, each of them designed for…

Handmade jug with a flattened bottom, rounded body and straight neck. Most Ethiopian pottery is either black or natural clay colored. The black color is achieved by coating the object in oil and then firing it. This is why the bottom is darker than…

This fly-whisk is used to swat or disturb flies. It is made of white horse hair and has a looped handle. Covered in an unknown material, possibly plant fiber, the handle is braided in black and white stripes.

This very small object, made of steel, consists of a rectangular body, with a suspension loop end on one side, and a spoon-like end opposite to it. Both the front and the back are covered with steel decorations. The little spoon was used to remove…

These three baskets are part of a set of four similar baskets. They were woven using a coiling technique, using traditionally Ethiopian colors and designs. One of them is shaped as a plate with a footed base, and two are shaped as bowls. In addition…