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Fine Inlaid Black and Gold Makie Lacquer Comb Set browse these categories for related items... All Items: Japanese: Lacquer: Accessories: Pre 1920: item #799861 Please refer to our stock #11F-146 when inquiring.
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This lovely black and gold makie lacquer Japanese hair comb (“kushi”) and ornamental hair bar (“kogai”) set is decorated en suite and dates to the early 20th century (Meiji/Taisho period). Unsigned. The front sides of the comb and the ends of the two-pronged kogai are painstakingly decorated with a gold hiramakie (flat lacquer) and takamakie (raised lacquer) floral and circular designs with accents of red and green lacquer and iridescent “aogai” (abalone shell) inlay on a rich 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. A large gold takamakie peony blossom and a waterwheel sit above swirling gold waves, accompanied by the leaves of the peony and other fern-like leaves. One of the peony leaves is finished with dark green lacquer with gold veins. The gold lacquer decoration extends into the tines of the comb. The back side is decorated with gold hiramakie leaves and clouds. The floral motif is also carried through on the kogai, where inlaid aogai flowers and a glittering leaf embellish the ends. 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. DIMENSIONS: comb is 3 ¾” (9.6 cm) x 2 ¼” (5.7 cm), hairpin is 6 ¼” (15.9 cm) long. |
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