Not fancy but but typical of the average eating ladle. I was so pleased when I found this early elm wood ladle, not just because it was in my price range, ($30.00) but because it is what I believe to be the typical late 18th early 19th century Woodland Indian eating ladle. It's 8.5" long and the bowl measures 4.75" across. No effigy, nothing fancy, just nice lines and very well used.
The dark spot on the handle is the pith of the tree. You can see another dark pith spot on the bottom lip of the bowl. This tells me just how the grain of the wood runs in this ladle.
Besides a few mouse gnawings, the ladle suffers from the rim having been worn down smooth and blunt. When it was first made I expect that the rim of the bowl had a crisp edge but I don't consider this as "damage", just natural age and wear from use.
