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Japanese Lacquer Comb Set Inlaid with MOP and Coral browse these categories for related items... Directory: Archives:Regional Art:Asian:Japanese:Pre 1950: item # 702216 Please refer to our stock # 11F-145 when inquiring.
B & C Antiques P. O. Box 291 Derby, CT 06418 203-929-7312 Guest Book SOLD |
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This stunning vintage Japanese black lacquer ornamental hair comb (“kushi”) and ornamental hair bar (“kogai”) set is decorated en suite with leaves and flower blossoms. Mid-20th century or earlier. The front and back sides of the comb and the ends of the two-pronged kogai are heavily encrusted with large areas of inlaid mother-of-pearl (raden), iridescent abalone shell (“aogai”) and red coral beads on a thick black roiro-nuri lacquer ground. Roiro is a technique using the highest quality black urushi lacquer, applied and polished in several layers. It is only used on the highest quality lacquer items. The delicate shell decoration extends extensively into the tines, and the reverse of the comb has a continuation of the inlaid raden and aogai design. This motif is also carried onto the reverse side of the kogai, where inlaid shell and coral flower blossoms embellish each butt end. To Japanese women, hair ornaments were much more than mere accessories to feminine hair-do and attire. The comb progressed from a utilitarian object to a highly decorative one on which craftsmen and artists lavished their imagination and skill. In keeping with their inclination to beautify even ordinary items of everyday use, the Japanese turned hair ornaments into extraordinary artistic objects that mirrored the cultural and social history of the period. They reflected the life and status of their wearers, who were geisha, courtesans, ladies in the court and women in their homes. In their own small way, combs and hairpins provide a miniature glimpse of the exceptional beauty of Japanese art. (See the wonderful article “Combs and Hairpins” by Sharon Ziesnitz and Takeguchi Momoko in DARUMA 35, Summer 2002.) CONDITION is excellent, with no losses. DIMENSIONS: comb is 3 7/8” (9.9 cm) x 2” (5 cm); hairpin is 6 ¼” (15.9 cm) long. |
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