Comb
1800-1867 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The dominant colours in Italian traditional jewellery are red and gold. Throughout the south of Italy, the main material used to add a red colour to jewellery was coral, but in the north garnets were more common. This comb, which comes from Parma, is made of plated metal set with red pastes, in imitation of gold and garnets.
In the south of Italy, particularly in those places which had been under Spanish rule, many women wore decorative combs in their hair as part of their traditional costume. In Parma, and the rest of the north, large hair pins were more common with traditional dress. Although it was acquired as a piece of traditional jewellery, this comb is not distinctive, and was probably worn with fashionable dress.
It was bought for £2 12s as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
In the south of Italy, particularly in those places which had been under Spanish rule, many women wore decorative combs in their hair as part of their traditional costume. In Parma, and the rest of the north, large hair pins were more common with traditional dress. Although it was acquired as a piece of traditional jewellery, this comb is not distinctive, and was probably worn with fashionable dress.
It was bought for £2 12s as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver-plated metal set with red pastes |
| Brief description | Silver-plated metal comb set with red pastes, Parma (Italy), 1800-1867. |
| Physical description | Gilded and silver-plated metal comb, with wire teeth and a curved decorative top across the top, which overhangs the teeth on each side. The top is made of imitation filigree and set with red pastes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | The dominant colours in Italian traditional jewellery are red and gold. Throughout the south of Italy, the main material used to add a red colour to jewellery was coral, but in the north garnets were more common. This comb, which comes from Parma, is made of plated metal set with red pastes, in imitation of gold and garnets. In the south of Italy, particularly in those places which had been under Spanish rule, many women wore decorative combs in their hair as part of their traditional costume. In Parma, and the rest of the north, large hair pins were more common with traditional dress. Although it was acquired as a piece of traditional jewellery, this comb is not distinctive, and was probably worn with fashionable dress. It was bought for £2 12s as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867. |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Italian Jewellery as worn by the Peasants of Italy', Arundel Society, London, 1868, Plate 2 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 330-1868 |
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| Record created | April 3, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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