Not currently on display at the V&A

Comb

ca. 1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This Japanese hair comb was used by a woman as a decorative hair ornament in a hairstyle that was put up. Combs and hairpins were often paired as a set which corresponded in material, technique and subject. This comb is a pair with the hairpin, FE.52-2002, both of which are decorated with hardstones and pearls inlaid into tortoiseshell.

Over the centuries, hairstyles and hair ornaments underwent considerable transformation in Japan. From roughly the twelfth to the late sixteenth centuries, it was customary for women to wear their hair long and loose without ornamentation. Thereafter hair was put up with increasingly elaborate hair ornaments. At first hair ornaments were mostly confined to women of the elite but, from the mid eighteenth century onwards, they were increasingly available to all strata of society. During the Edo period (1615-1868), women used a wide variety of combs (kushi), bodkins or hairpins (kanzashi) and hairpins (kogai) in a wide range of materials, such as wood, ivory and tortoiseshell, which were most commonly decorated with lacquer. Not only did the hairstyle and its ornaments reflect the age, social class and marital status of the woman, but the hair ornaments also reflected the individual’s taste.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Tortoiseshell inlaid with hardstones and pearls.
Brief description
Comb, tortoiseshell inlaid with pearls and hardstones, Japanese, ca. 1900.
Physical description
Tortoiseshell comb of semi-circular form inlaid with hardstones and pearls.
Dimensions
  • Height: 3.6cm
  • Width: 8.53cm
  • Depth: 0.52cm
Style
Credit line
Given by Fumie Kosuge
Summary
This Japanese hair comb was used by a woman as a decorative hair ornament in a hairstyle that was put up. Combs and hairpins were often paired as a set which corresponded in material, technique and subject. This comb is a pair with the hairpin, FE.52-2002, both of which are decorated with hardstones and pearls inlaid into tortoiseshell.

Over the centuries, hairstyles and hair ornaments underwent considerable transformation in Japan. From roughly the twelfth to the late sixteenth centuries, it was customary for women to wear their hair long and loose without ornamentation. Thereafter hair was put up with increasingly elaborate hair ornaments. At first hair ornaments were mostly confined to women of the elite but, from the mid eighteenth century onwards, they were increasingly available to all strata of society. During the Edo period (1615-1868), women used a wide variety of combs (kushi), bodkins or hairpins (kanzashi) and hairpins (kogai) in a wide range of materials, such as wood, ivory and tortoiseshell, which were most commonly decorated with lacquer. Not only did the hairstyle and its ornaments reflect the age, social class and marital status of the woman, but the hair ornaments also reflected the individual’s taste.
Associated object
Collection
Accession number
FE.52-2002

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdAugust 25, 2004
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest