Object Number: E4495

Collection: World Cultures

Object Name: Personal Accessory

Description: Comb with 13 teeth and handle inlaid with mother-of-pearl decoration. Most of the handle and teeth are painted black. The teeth are mostly about the same size. Beneath their tips, further reinforcement is given by a thin stick tied on with fibre. The handle begins with a thin stick and then branches outwards creating a kind of narrow upside-down bell shape. Within this bell-shape are the inlaid pieces (18) of mother-of-pearl. All but two of these inlaid pieces are triangular (scalene or isosceles) and all have little notches in them. The top of the handle has a stick attached (also blackened) providing support to the teeth as they protrude from the handle. A twisted fibre strand, frayed at both ends, is tied to the handle