Unusual Beads and Filigree Hair Comb

Ref: AN-0903-018

This comb is of the type known as a Spanish or mantilla comb because it resembles the traditional ornaments worn by Spanish ladies with their native dress. The production of the opera Carmen led to a fashion for high Spanish combs in the 1870s, and this one probably dates from that period.

These high combs were placed in the hair in such a way as to be visible from all angles. This handsome and unusual example is made from metal filigree in three large ovals. Wires are stretched across onto which have been threaded large faceted beads of French ivory and metal.

Such combs were placed so that they were visible from every angle as in the final picture which is taken from a contemporary late Victorian cabinet photograph.

Size: 5¼ x 5 ins (approx 13.5 x 12.5 cms)

£35.00

Unusual Shape Faux Tortoiseshell Comb

Ref: AN-0903-019

The first Art Nouveau ornaments were hand made and carved from clarified horn. These were very expensive and were quickly followed by mass produced versions made in celluloid for the popular market. This faux tortoiseshell comb with its very unusual double curve is an example of the latter.

The flowing lines of the ornament are very obviously influenced by Art Nouveau. Further interest is supplied by engraved decoration filled in with white pigment and clear rhinestone trim and small gilt pique studs.

The final picture shows an ad for contemporary hair combs one of which clearly echoes the flowing lines and curves.

Size: 4½ x 4½ ins (approx 10 x 10 cms)

£30.00

Early American Steer Horn Hair Comb

Ref: AN-0903-020

Many early American portraits and tintype photos show the female sitters to be wearing large hair combs similar to this one. The final picture shows a lady in the dress of the 1830s wearing a similar example in plain shell.

This fine comb is made in clarified horn which had then been tinted a deep honey colour. The translucency of the material can be seen in several pictures where the ornament is presented against the light.

This one is in fine condition for its age, which is approximately 180 years old, with just a few bug bites to the bottom points of some of the tines.

Size: 5 x 6½ ins (approx 12.5 x 16.5 cms)

£30.00

French Ivory Overlay Lacy Hair Comb

Ref: AN-0903-022

This ornament is made by a process called overlay, whereby it is formed from two distinctly coloured layers. The layers were then cut through so that the one beneath showed through the design, or at various points in the carving.

Here, for example a core of creamy-beige French ivory has been cast with a shiny black shell, and then hand finished by being carved and engraved. The graving tool has cut through the upper creamy layer into the black, producing an interesting topographical effect with peaks of black and valleys of white.

The comb is formed as a mantilla type, with a high upstanding heading which can be seen from all angles, as in the final picture. This shows a young lady in the dress of the 1870s and wearing a similar upstanding hair comb.

Size: 5½ x 4¾ ins (approx 14 x 12 cms)

£40.00

Gutta Percha Floral Mourning Comb

Ref: AN-0904-005

One of the more exotic materials employed in the reign of Victoria was gutta percha.

This material is extracted from the sap of the sapodilla tree, which is found in the Pacific Rim countries. Introduced in London in 1843, it was found that the material could be moulded after heating in hot water, and that it retained its tough state on cooling. The material, one of the first natural plastics, was exploited and put to a number of uses, including the making of articles of jewellery and personal ornaments such as hair combs.

One of the uses for gutta percha was in making mourning jewellery on account of its dull dark appearance. The final picture shows the sombre dress of a widow in mourning. This is quite a nice example with moulded flowers.

Size: 3 x 3½ ins (approx 7.5 x 9 cms)

£30.00

French Jet Wings Motif Mourning Hair Comb

Ref: AN-0909-026

This handsome piece is a mourning comb made from French jet and vulcanite. The polished and faceted cabochons are not genuine Whitby jet but a species of black glass which was popularly used as a substitute. They consist of large faceted pieces surrounded by small black glass bugle beads. The wings motif is a very unusual one for mourning combs.

Size: 4 x 4½ ins (approx 10 x 11 cms)

£80.00

Late 19th Century Back Comb with Painted Leaves

Ref: AN-1008-037

This very beautiful Art Nouveau period hair comb dates from the period 1890-1910. Art Nouveau is a style which shows a fondness for naturalistic motifs such as fruit, flowers or animal forms. This comb is of celluloid faux tortoiseshell with a deep decorative panel. This has been hand painted with an organic pattern of blackberries and their leaves.

As the Art Nouveau style gained in popularity, a whole class of popular jewellery was mass produced this reproduced the typical motifs of the genre, but was produced by machine and made in materials like celluloid.

Size: 4¾ x 3½  ins (approx 12 x 9 cms)

£30.00

Late 19th Century Hair Comb with Ornamental Ship

Ref: AN-1008-038

This comb is known as a Spanish or mantilla comb because it has a high upstanding heading which resembles the traditional ornaments worn by Spanish ladies with their native dress. The use of the very tall Spanish comb has a very long history of use throughout the 19th century. The production of the opera Carmen led to a fashion for high Spanish combs in the 1870s.

This one probably dates from the latter part of the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century. It is made from celluloid faux tortoiseshell which has been moulded into a distinctive cable chain pattern at the extremities. The centre is filled with a realistic model of a clipper ship placed behind a clear glass panel. A most unusual and intriguing ornament.

Size: 4½ x 4¼  ins (approx 11.5 x 11 cms)

£50.00

Early 19th Century Carved Horn Asymmetric Comb

Ref: AN-1008-039

This spectacular hand carved horn comb dates from the early 19th century. Is has been carved out of one piece of natural horn which has been clarified and dyed a deep attractive amber colour shading from darker to lighter. Is has a pretty asymmetric design of openwork panels with classic scrollwork and leaves. .Horn was one of the most popular materials for comb production before the advent of celluloid and other synthetics.

In the 1830s the fashionable coiffure and the accessories used to adorn it had become extremely complex. Great stiffened loops of hair, often false, were placed upon the crown to give height to the dressing. Acting partly as a support for all the loops of false hair and other ornaments, many coiffures featured a high Spanish-style backcombs placed at the rear. Horn was a very popular material for these combs, which were often carved with great beauty and skill. This fantastical hairdressing is shown in the accompanying illustration which is a pastel drawing of a sitter with one of these huge hair combs.

Size: 6½ x 6 ins (approx 16.5 x 15.5 cms)

£50.00

Turn of the Century Carved Flowers Hair Comb

Ref: AN-1008-040

This pretty little hair accessory is typical of hair ornaments of the late 19th and early 20th century, when smaller and more delicate designs had become popular. The hair was often worn in a simple knot or chignon, and this was pierced by small combs or hairpins, with decorative filigree tops. They were placed so as to be visible from every angle, like that of the sitter in the final photograph. This is a contemporary cabinet photograph and dates from the 1890s. We can see that this elegant lady is wearing a comb with a pierced heading, much like the example shown here.

Size: 5 x 2¼  ins (approx 12.5 x 6 cms)

£25.00