Comb thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91 to 93 mezzanine, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Comb

1865-1870 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Spanish women paid great attention to styling their hair.

Throughout Spain they coiled their hair into a chignon at the back of the head, and stuck a high comb into the top. In Valencia the women had a particularly elaborate style. They added a bun of hair at either side of the head, above the ears, with a smaller comb in the top which matched the large back comb. Round the sides of the bun they inserted small double-pronged hair pins, with decorative heads, to keep it in place. The chignon at the back of the head was held in place by a pair of long hair pins, worn horizontally across the back of the head.

This comb is a large back comb. It forms part of a set with one remaining side comb, number 684A-1870.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver-gilt over copper, chased
Brief description
Gilded copper trapezoid hair pin, Valencia (Spain), 1865-1870.
Physical description
Decorative comb, made from a thin sheet of metal of trapezoid shape, with tines cut out of the lower half, and a chased floral pattern on the front of the upper half. The whole is silver-plated, and the front and sides of the upper half are additionally gilded. The top edge is scalloped.
Dimensions
  • Height: 8.2cm
  • Width: 16.5cm
  • Depth: 1.2cm
Summary
Spanish women paid great attention to styling their hair.

Throughout Spain they coiled their hair into a chignon at the back of the head, and stuck a high comb into the top. In Valencia the women had a particularly elaborate style. They added a bun of hair at either side of the head, above the ears, with a smaller comb in the top which matched the large back comb. Round the sides of the bun they inserted small double-pronged hair pins, with decorative heads, to keep it in place. The chignon at the back of the head was held in place by a pair of long hair pins, worn horizontally across the back of the head.

This comb is a large back comb. It forms part of a set with one remaining side comb, number 684A-1870.
Associated object
684A-1870 (Set)
Collection
Accession number
683-1870

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Record createdJanuary 25, 2008
Record URL
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