Haarkam van schildpad met een onversierde ronde rug, die gekant staat op de tanden
c. 1800 - c. 1850
Medium
pressing
Dimensions
6; 17.5; 8
About this artwork
Gift of J.B. van Florenstein
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of 19th personal adornment with this delicate tortoiseshell hair comb crafted anonymously around 1800–1850. Measuring a dainty 8 cm high, 17.5 cm wide, and 6 cm deep, its unadorned round elegantly bevels toward fine teeth, designed to secure elaborate updos with subtle grace. Tortoiseshell, sourced from the hawksbill turtle, was a prized luxury material, prized for its warm, translucent glow that mimicked amber or horn. The comb's creation highlights masterful pressing techniques popular in European workshops of the era. Artisans heated the brittle shell until plia...
About the Artist
anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...