Hair Implement thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Hair Implement

1850 - 1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Korea (made)

These are hair parting pins made of bronze sheets. One end of the pin is cut out round, while the other is pointed. Their length range from 12 to 16 cm. The pointed end was used for parting hair, while the round part was used for removing dirt and applying hair oil. The upper part shows a ruyi head's design.

Object details

Object type
Hair implement
Materials and techniques
Brass
Brief description
Hair implement (bitchigae); Korea, 1850-1900, Joseon dynasty
Physical description
The pins are made of a complex alloy. The primary constituents are copper, zinc, manganese, iron, nickel, lead, tin and antimony. See FE 46 for more detail on the object type.

Colour: Yellow
Dimensions
  • Length: 12.2cm
  • Width: 3.2cm
Style
Chosŏn
Gallery label
(05/04/2019)
1. A pair of tweezers and four bitchigae
(hair implements)
Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)

Bitchigae is a double-ended grooming tool. The pointed end was used to part hair, while the rounded end was used to apply hair oil. The grooves of the gingko-leaf shaped bitchigae were initially designed to remove dirt from the hair, but later evolved to be purely decorative and then used as a hairpin. Tweezers were also multi- purpose, with an angled-pointed end to part hair or to scoop ear wax. Bitchigae and tweezers were often stored together inside a vanity box.

Copper alloy and bronze sheets
Museum nos. FE.46 to 49-1991, M.69-1937
Summary
These are hair parting pins made of bronze sheets. One end of the pin is cut out round, while the other is pointed. Their length range from 12 to 16 cm. The pointed end was used for parting hair, while the round part was used for removing dirt and applying hair oil. The upper part shows a ruyi head's design.
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
FE.48-1991

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Record createdFebruary 3, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O22516/hair-implement-unknown/
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