Duck-shaped box

This duck-shaped box comes from Minet el-Beida, a port in the Kingdom of Ugarit (present-day Syria). On its back, a mounting hole marks the location of a small duckling, now lost. Hippopotamus canine ivory was a popular material among craftsmen in the Near East; bluish marks indicate that it may have been decorated with paint. The hinged-lid box is of Levantine origin. The spoon, carved in wood, takes the form of the ânkh hieroglyph, meaning ‘life’. Lotus flowers and a bundle of cut papyrus decorate the handle. Formerly known as a ‘blush spoon’, this type of object contained no residues and could not therefore have been used as a cosmetic container. It may in fact have been an offering spoon, the cup evoking a cupped hand, akin to the hieroglyph representing ‘gift’.