A Spanish style faux shell hair comb from the late Victorian period

CONDITION: good vintage condition with expected wear

SIZE: 7 ins h x 3 ins w (18 x 7.5 cm) decorative part 4 ins h (10 cm)

APPROXIMATE DATE: 1890s – 1900s

MATERIALS: celluloid

DESCRIPTION:

Here is a very beautiful amber coloured translucent Spanish style hair comb dating from the Art Nouveau period which straddled the turn of the 20th century. The ornament has an attractive symmetrical design in a combination of leaf shapes and scroll work which is typical of Art Nouveau in its more popular manifestation.

The collage picture shows a selection of illustrations from contemporary sources with similar hair accessories and the hair styles with which they were worn.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

The first Art Nouveau ornaments were hand made and carved from clarified cowhorn. These were very expensive and beyond the means of working people. They were quickly followed by mass produced versions made in celluloid for the popular market. These cheaper versions reproduced the typical motifs of the genre, but were produced by machine. Typically they were made in translucent amber or faux tortoise shell effects with a swirling asymmetric design suggestive of organic forms.

This type of ornament is often known as Spanish or mantilla comb because it resembles a smaller version of the traditional large shell ornaments worn by Spanish ladies with their native dress. In practice any comb which has a high upstanding heading or top which stands proud of the top of the head is often called a mantilla comb. Such combs are worn placed high on the head in order to allow the beauty of their ornamental cresting to be admired.