Category Archives: Japanese Hair Comb

Meiji Set I Bought

I am buying a very interesting late Meiji kushi and kogai set. Although the material is tortoiseshell, has gaps in the gold makie paint to allow light to show through the comb, has the Meiji feature of the design folding over the top of the comb as it goes from front to back, and the size and shape are definitely Meiji, this set is creeping toward a modern aesthetic.

Like modern Japanese sets, the design objects are bigger, the painting goes over the tines of the comb, there is a bigger picture on the front and a punctuated design on the back, and most notably, there is color. I think the red flowers on this comb got to me, and I had to have it. But I love this set because it has one foot in the past and one foot in the future.

Memories and Private Collections

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These are just some beautiful combs. For those beginning their road into the intense world of comb collecting, it is always nice to see what you might find if you look hard enough. This is an English art deco comb.

This is a French art deco comb by Auguste Bonaz. Notice the depth of the red, the proportions of this. The rhinestone design in the center is still used by French hair accessory designers today.

Both this red comb and the ivory fish comb are early Edo. I shudder to think what they cost the collector.

The most beautiful drop-dead Victorian pearl tiara you will probably ever see in your life.

These are two Victorian combs in the Algerian style.

This is a shell and pearl hairpin that I sold to someone who wore it at her wedding.

This is a Victorian horn comb, brass tiara, with fabric flowers and black-bead dangles from the Norma Hague collection.

This is a hairstick in two colors of tortoiseshell, Chinese, 1890, and thankfully, I still have it.

This is an antique silver and bone comb with dangles, from China.

Meiji Dark Shell with Gold Makie

This style is dark tortoiseshell, elaborately carved with gold makie, and a gold border. One of the most beautiful characteristics of Meiji combs is that the artist folds the carved painting over the comb, so that the front and the back are part of the same idea. This is done with ivory combs as well. But here is an excellent example of a dark shell, gold makie style of Meiji comb that went at live auction for $950.

The condition was excellent, it was signed, the carving was a painting of flying birds with inlaid mother or pearl flowers, and it was a full set. You might think that this is very expensive for one of these combs. However, on Trocadero, there is an asian art dealer with a similar set in excellent condition, who wants $2000 for it. There was another comb in this style that went for $260. The carving was ornamental, but it was in good condition, and the dealer offered a full set.

Meiji: $260

Edo, Silver and Shell

For Japanese collectors, a silver and tortoiseshell comb from the Edo era, with the silver carved into birds on Mt. Fuji and the kogai made to match, is a treasure rare to behold. I believe there is a drop pearl hanging from the bonsai tree on the left. The artwork is museum level on this comb, even though the condition was not at its best. It sold for $1300 at live auction. I and another Japanese collector bid $750 and $800, respectively, but we couldn’t get our hands on it.