Large French Ivory Lacy Spanish Comb

Ref: DE-0903-012

For an example of this same design in black see DE-0903-006. This very large black Spanish style hair comb is made in one of the most popular and iconic Art Deco styles. It has a radiating design of spoke like lines, in between which are placed panels of lace like openwork.

This is a very typical motif in Art Deco combs, and in the art of the period. Some people interpret the spokes as representing the wheel, and thus symbolising the Futurist fascination with speed and machinery.

This is a very large comb and similar to that which appears in the final illustration, from a coloured illustration in the French EROS magazine.

Size: 8 x 7 ins ( approx 20 x 18 cms)

£40.00

Green Mottled Celluloid Overlay Comb

Ref: DE-0903-013

This immense fan shaped comb is the very spirit of Art Deco, a style which was marked by symmetry, geometric shapes, and general stylisation of decorative motifs. Here the geometric decoration is like the fine fretwork found on Chinese screens for a very powerful effect.

Art Deco designs incorporated Cubist and Futurist art which influenced fashion, architecture and interior design. Very jazzy and geometric, the designs celebrated all the excitement of the machine age and were definitely more angular, fantastical and bold than the previous flowing designs of the Art Nouveau period.

This is a very large comb and similar to that which appears in the final illustration, from a coloured illustration in the French EROS magazine.

Size: 8 x 7½ ins (approx 20 x 19 cms)

£45.00

Jade Green Geometric Pattern Comb

Ref: DE-0903-014

Celluloid was a material which lent itself to a variety of decorating techniques, and many different varieties were employed to embellish the fashionable hair accessories of the Art Deco period.

One of the most important was its ability to simulate natural materials such as tortoiseshell, amber, or, as here, jade. The strong contrasting shapes within the heading show a deep appreciation and understanding of the potential of the material.  

This very beautiful comb has random mottling to simulate the appearance of oriental jade and is made in yet another variation of the iconic sunray design.

Size: 8¼ x 7½ ins (approx 21 x 19 cms)

£45.00

Large Salmon Pink Mantilla Style Comb

Ref: DE-1008-011

This ornament is a variation of the Spanish or mantilla comb because it resembles the traditional tortoiseshell ornaments worn by Spanish ladies with their native dress. The production of the opera Carmen led to a fashion for high Spanish style combs in the 1870s. They remained fashionable throughout the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, and into the 1920s. This one is made in bright salmon pink celluloid having a pretty openwork border with a floral motif. The treatment of the flowers and their placement against a latticework background reveals some Chinese influence. Art Deco was an eclectic style which derives influences from many cultures, including the Orient.

Size: 8 x 4¾ ins (approx 20 x 12 cms)

£50.00

Large Red Chinese Style Openwork Comb

Ref: DE-1008-012

Art Deco was an eclectic style which derived influences from many cultures, including the Orient. So we find hair combs in the “Chinese” style like this large bright red ornament which simulates the appearance and look of Chinese lacquer furniture and ornaments. This elaborate example has a fan shaped heading, having a distinctive fluted shape and intricate openwork decoration. The colour red is important in Chinese culture and is considered to be lucky. For that reason it is the colour generally used for costume and decoration at weddings. The bright cinnamon red is therefore a hue which suggests Chinese lacquer ware.

Size: 8¼ x 7 ins (approx 21 x 18 cms)

£70.00