Category Archives: Chinese Hair Comb

Alexander Evgenievich Yakovlev

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Three months after Tsar Nicholas II fell in the February Revolution of 1917, Alexander Yakovlev left Petrograd for Peking. The Academy of Arts funded his two-year stay in China, Mongolia, and Japan. He returned with “Opera of Peking,” one of his greatest works.

Having already painted Michael Fokine and Anna Pavlova, he wrote, “In Peking, I was drawn to Chinese theatre, the sole remaining vestige of its ancient culture. … One feels that the actor is guided by a geometrical formula. The principal lines of the square are very distinct. The horizontals and verticals are opposed to the diagonals.”

Two of his vertical objects included the women’s headpieces.

Signed in Latin and dated 1918, “Opera in Peking” portrays regal, beautiful singers standing still, poised in sublime calmness. It sold for $1.3 million and change at Sotheby’s on June 7th.

Here is a photograph of the Peking Opera in 1932, which gives us the privilege of seeing what Yakovlev remembered when he put brush to canvas.

Manchu China

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In 1644, the Northern Manchurians conquered China, defeating the ethnic Hans in the South. They named their dynasty Qing, meaning clear, as the Hans’ Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) ended. While the Manchurians integrated with the Chinese, many rebellions and tribal wars took place. In 1912, the Manchus lost power to the Republic of China.

Thank you to Jiarui Lu for sending in the correct scholarship. “Today, the Manchu, or Man Nation is one of 56 nations of China. The original place is northeast of China, and now most of “Man” people live in Liaoning province, Jilin province and Heilongjiang province of China.”

However, during the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu comb makers created outstanding three-dimensional hair ornaments with kingfisher feathers, as well as coral, amber, and jade. They were supposed to bring their royal wearers good luck.

Here are two examples. The first is from the Creative Museum’s Asian Collection. The second is mine. I got it on E-bay from a woman whose seaman father brought it home from China in the 1920’s.

The stark contrast between what the Manchurians made for themselves and what they made for Victorian England reinforces China’s understanding of the West. I think they still understand us better than we will ever understand them. However, looking at these hair combs, I cannot help but ask, “Can reflection, caution, patience, and discipline supersede courage, freedom of thought, and innovation?”

Photographing Combs

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I am working with lights, a friend’s instructions, flashes, oh my God there is so much to think about… :-) Here are four comb pictures from my collection. The first is a Chinese ivory export comb for the Victorian market, c. 1890. The second is a Chinese hair stick with a blonde shell bird on top. Last is a Japanese Meiji ivory set in perfect condition, which depicts flowers blowing in the wind. Enjoy!

Ebay Dealer Mistakes

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There have been many lovely combs on the American, British, and French E-bay sites. However, some dealers misidentify their comb’s country of origin. Here are two examples. Please see item #130476761205.

The hairpin is stunning, condition excellent, no arguments that it would be a wonderful piece for any collection. There’s only one problem. It’s a Chinese gold-filigree ornament from the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). According to research from the Creative Museum, “During the Qing Dynasty, many jewels were made ​​of gold-wire filigree. (See book “Gems of Beijing Cultural Relics Series” published by Beijing Publishing House, page 221 – ISBN: 7-200-04899-2)” Here is a picture of their Qing hairpin:

The second misidentified comb did not sell. Please see item #160568156596.

Another lovely piece, but again, it’s not Japanese. It’s from the Punjab Region of Pakistan. The Creative Museum has a gorgeous one with beads, pearls, wood indentations, and a fish theme.

This kanzashi IS Japanese. It’s gorgeous. Please refer to item #280637283941. It’s going for $725, but the seller is accepting offers.

Chinese Comb of Gods

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By The Creative Museum:

This impressive ivory comb features the eight Chinese Gods from the Dao Temple, home of Taoism. The artist portrayed the immortals crossing the sea. Respectively, they represent incarnations of the Chinese people: male, female, old, young, rich, noble, poor, and humble. Zhang Guolao’s drum can augur life. Lu Dongbin’s sword can subdue evil. Han Xingzi’s flute can cause growth. He Xiangu’s Water Lily can cultivate people through meditation. Tie Guaili’s gourd can help the needy and relieve the distressed. Zhong Liquan’s fan can bring the dead back to life. Cao Guojiu’s jade board can purify the environment. Lan Caihe’s basket of flowers can communicate with gods. All of this wisdom was carved into a comb made for export to the Victorian market, c. 1890.

The Bargain

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Amidst the cacophony of egos, E-bay is a war game. To sell collectibles, you either have to organize in real life to limit supply, as in the paperweight market; throw a piece of junk on ebay with the goal of attracting a private buyer, as in the Tiffany Studios market; but sometimes the collector wins the war because the seller is blindingly stupid.

PCMalady listed this comb as plastic. It wasn’t plastic. It was a Chinese ivory comb made for export to the Victorian market, c. 1890.

I couldn’t believe it. For four days I had a kill snipe bid on this. I knew the people who noticed it would behave like stealth tigers looking to take advantage of the seller’s ignorance. I also knew no one who noticed would bid to draw attention to the comb, thereby jacking up the price. I deleted my snipe bid because I thought “What are you doing? You can’t buy combs now.” I watched.

A comb I’d value at around $300 because there was a slight discoloration to the ivory in the back, invisible to the front, went for $39.99.

Even if the seller did not know the detailed floral decoration was one of the most popular patterns in Chinese ivory export combs, she should have seen the individuality of the discoloration on the back and known the comb was not plastic.

There were only two bidders, feedback scores of 2078 and 3309, respectively. That tells you a lot about their knowledge. The comb was won by the Creative Museum. I am happy about this. It was a brilliant buy.

At the moment, sellers on Ruby Lane are trying to sell their combs for retail prices on E-bay. The listings will not succeed because the main product of E-bay is the war game of egos.

Please welcome the Creative Museum

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I am honored to announce that the founders of The Creative Museum have joined me to become authors on this blog.

The museum’s extraordinary collection includes magnificent works from Africa, North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the South Sea Islands, and also spans centuries. Just as it took a world-class collector’s eye to gather such combs, it took the same eye to photograph them so carefully. The Creative Museum has written a history of the world through comb making.

As I get older, I realize that the convictions I had when my energy was boundless were not the lone leaves on the tree at the end of the world. I was not alone. My conviction that hair combs were profound works of art was shared.

And now, our audience of art lovers and comb collectors can enjoy other points of view. The most wonderful addition is that Creative Museum posts will be written in French! I will translate them into English in the comments section.

Bonne chance, mes amis!

Chinese Export Ivory Comb

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There are so many EZ barrette wholesale auctions on ebay now, I’m going to go blind. And the same combs are advertised at prices no one will pay, time and time again. I don’t even know why I bother to check anymore. However, masochistically I looked and found this:

The ivory tines at the bottom are worn, but the design on top tells a story. This is a classic Chinese-made ivory comb for export to the Victorian market, c. 1890. It has 6 days to go, and it’s already over $100. This will go. I will not be bidding. However, I’m watching and will list the final price and winner next week. If I didn’t have an ivory comb in my collection, I’d go for this one.

Creative-Museum.com

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There is a completeness to this 2500-comb collection, as it spans the whole world and time. Most individual collections specialize. This museum brings together the love of many in a dazzling display of hair comb art. The pictures are a community unto themselves.

The museum founders state, “There is nowhere you can see this collection, since it is private. As the owners want to share its resources with everyone, CREATIVE MUSEUM will do its best to offer all the services you could find in a museum: a temporary exhibition with a special theme, a view of the permanent collection, background information and more: expertise.”

Here are a few comparisons and pictures. From the museum:

I believe this is my picture of the same comb in 2004.

Here is a Manchurian hairpin from the collection.

This is my Manchu piece.

And here are just three pictures, which reveal the eye of the collective mastery that brings this project to life. The still-life photography is superb.

An African bird.

A Bonaz Mantilla comb.

A Chinese diadem.