Hair Pin thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Hair Pin

1981 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Jewellery is often inspired by the beauty of the natural world but the approach in design and use of materials can vary substantially. The acorns of this comb are exquisitely and painstakingly carved in materials traditionally used for jewellery.

Martin Baker graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1979 and works today on commissions. The designer-jeweller and silversmith makes in the main smallwork, for example paperknives, boxes, jars and other exquisite objects in silver, however often combined with a wide range of materials such as hand-blown glass. Through Wartski in London he has completed a number of major commissions for the Royal Family, and for Garrards and Tiffany.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Horn and crystal
Brief description
Decorative hair comb in the form of paired acorns, by Martin Baker England 1980.
Physical description
Carved in the shape of acorn heads, with long stems crossing just below the heads which form the pins that secure the piece in the hair.
Dimensions
  • Length: 11.7cm
  • Width: 4.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
MB.81. (initials and date scratched on reverse)
Credit line
Given by the Hon. Alistair McAlpine
Subject depicted
Summary
Jewellery is often inspired by the beauty of the natural world but the approach in design and use of materials can vary substantially. The acorns of this comb are exquisitely and painstakingly carved in materials traditionally used for jewellery.

Martin Baker graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1979 and works today on commissions. The designer-jeweller and silversmith makes in the main smallwork, for example paperknives, boxes, jars and other exquisite objects in silver, however often combined with a wide range of materials such as hand-blown glass. Through Wartski in London he has completed a number of major commissions for the Royal Family, and for Garrards and Tiffany.
Collection
Accession number
M.3-1981

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Record createdMay 7, 2008
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