Category Archives: Creative Museum

Creative Museum: Persian Ivory Combs

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One way to follow human civilization’s advancement is to study the H comb, as it went from utilitarian lice extractor to life-revealing work of art. The French carved masterpieces into their liturgical and secular ivory combs. Turkic tribesmen in Central Asia attached silver frames to wood, and decorated them with carving and jewels. Every H comb has larger, more spaced tines on one side, and delicate thin tines on the other.

In Persia, artists painted colorful miniature scenes of Sultans and their women, which represented the way people ate, drank, dressed, cooked, and spoke to each other in Persian society. Here are three examples from The Creative Museum.

Sultans, eating.

Sultans playing polo?

This comb is missing its close-knit tines on top, but the painting on ivory is detailed and in excellent condition.

The back has a floral design.

In this example, the woman on the far left is using a decorative comb to hold her scarf in place.

So what do you think are they doing to the chickens?

Magnificent Empire Combs

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The Rococo style of jewelry making slipped into obscurity in 1785. Napoleon Bonaparte and his Empress Josephine brought the Empire style to prominence during his rule as Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815. Combs had curves, elaborate floral designs and scrollwork to show off jewels or enamel paintings.

From 1820 to 1870, there was a revival of the Empire style, especially in Victorian England. Because of the Repoussé gold work, where artists hammered gold patterns by hand, I would date this comb c. 1840. The enameled butterflies are magnificent, and the comb resides in a museum.

Here are two magnificent Empire combs from the Creative Museum. The first one has real amethysts:

The second one has gold-inlaid lapis-lazuli stones alternating between instances of Napoleon’s laurel-wreath crown. Wow.

Mother of Pearl Hair Combs

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The Creative Museum has two stunning mother-of-pearl combs. The first is a masterpiece of mother-of-pearl (mop) cutting and engraving. It depicts a roe deer, which symbolizes wealth and longevity. In Celtic culture, its antlers symbolize heavenly light.

They also have a drop-dead mop comb with a floral motif.

So I have been served. ;-) Here is my mop hair pin with a bird in a cherry tree. All these combs are English, c. 1850.

Alain: Bad Boy of Norway

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Museums are so annoying when they do not allow people to take pictures (without a flash) of exhibition items. I remember going to a diamond exhibit in Houston and seeing a few combs, but forgot I had my cell phone camera. *rolls eyes up to God*

However, on a trip to Oslo, one of the founders of the Creative Museum did remember he had a cell phone camera. :-) Inauspiciously disguised in a Dick Tracy hat, trench coat and dark glasses, he took a picture. Now we can see the Danish “Skonvirke” combs Oslo curators chose for the exhibit. :-) Skonvirke is the Danish version of Art Nouveau.

I like the coral-cabachon comb, but the Danish collection of the Creative Museum is better and much more extensive than what was shown in Oslo. Here are two examples.

This tortoiseshell and silver comb in its original box is attributed to Thorvald Bindesbøll. Provenance: “The design of a similar comb can be seen page 68, in the book Thorvald Bindesbøll og sølvsmedene, published by the Museet på Koldinghus.”

A tortoiseshell comb with a coral cabachon very similar to Georg Jensen.

Creative Museum: From the Sapio Workshops at Napoli

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The Creative Museum recently acquired this Italian hairpin topped in blonde tortoiseshell with Putto, Cupid’s name in the Italian Renaissance. The bottom of the stick is dark shell. The piece was made in the Sapio Workshops in Napoli, c. 1900.

Here is a dragon The Creative Museum already had from the Sapio Workshops.

What this means is that my beloved bird hair stick, which I thought was Chinese, is really Italian and also from the Sapio Workshops in Napoli. My Neopolitan Bird!

There have been more acquisitions by the Creative Museum, so look for further posts! :-)

Prices are rising for African combs

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On September 15, 2009, a comb from the Ivory Coast made from Hippopotamus bone sold for $1200 at Sotheby’s. It featured a bird on top of a woman’s head, a symbol of fertility.

Last Friday, May 13, another comb of the same design and material sold for $4062.

Sotheby’s also tried to sell this comb with an estimated price in the thousands, however, it did not sell.

The Creative Museum has a similar comb in perfect condition.

French Turquoise, Silver, and Pearl comb

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The French had a style of tiara comb with a silver base encasing turquoise beads and small pearls. They are small, but intricately beautiful. c. 1880. Each row of stones has a differently shaped setting. Here is mine. If you have one of these, send me a picture, and we can compare notes. I hope to have my server back Tuesday, at the latest Wednesday. Until then, I’m uploading pics to WordPress because I’m on this *must practice photography* binge. :-)

I am adding two photographs to this post. The French turquoise combs of the Creative Museum. The first one is a silver and turquoise tiara hinged onto a tortoiseshell comb, most unusual.

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?”

Crane and tortoise, two major Japanese symbols

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Par Creative Museum

Au Japon, deux figures animales associées reviennent très souvent comme motif décoratif. Il s’agit de la grue et de la tortue.

De nombreux kanzashi en sont ornés mais on les retrouve aussi sur les miroirs, les broderies des kimonos ou des ‘fukusa’ (carré de soie pour envelopper un cadeau) et sur beaucoup d’autres accessoires.

La Grue et la Tortue représentent les deux aspects complémentaires et radicalement opposés de l’univers : l’oiseau est le symbole de la liberté dans le ciel et du détachement de l’esprit face aux événements de la vie ; la tortue est le symbole de l’attachement à la terre et de la stabilité du monde.

On peut se demander pourquoi un manteau d’algues est toujours accroché à sa queue. Cela s’explique par une très ancienne légende qui raconte qu’une tortue, Minogamé, vit depuis 10 000 ans au fond des eaux, traînant derrière elle un lourd écheveau d’algues fixé à sa carapace.

Par ailleurs la grue tout comme la tortue vivent très longtemps, De ce fait, elles symbolisent ensemble la longévité et le bonheur et sont donc souvent représentées sur les kanzashi de mariage.

Please see comment #2 for the English translation.

Huge silver kanzashi (13 ins) with the two symbols of longevity and happiness

Close up showing the tortoise Minogame and its seaweed back.

Japanese ‘Fukusa’ featuring the traditional crane and tortoise

Minogamé drags algae on his tail under the sea