Comb

Object Details

Baule artist

Label Text

Gold leafing is a centuries-old technique in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. A small pellet of gold is repeatedly hammered and turned on an anvil to achieve a uniformly thin sheet. This sheet is then placed on a carved wood object and affixed with tiny metal staples or an adhesive. In addition to hair ornaments, this technique is applied to a wide variety of figures and prestige display items that are owned by individuals of high status.

Description

Wood and gold leaf comb and/or hair ornament surmounted by a standing bird. The upper portion of the comb and bird are decorated in zigzag and geometric designs.

Provenance

Judith Timyan, acquired Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire, 1974 to 1994

Exhibition History

Good As Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 24, 2018-February 2, 2020; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, September 16, 2020-January 3, 2021

Inauguration 2009, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 17-March 2, 2009

Hair in African Art and Culture, Museum for African Art Long Island City, NY, February 9-May 28, 2000; Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, February 8-April 15, 2001; California African-American Museum, Los Angeles, May 14-August 15, 2001; Diggs Gallery, Winston-Salem State University, September 22-December 15, 2001

Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007

Published References

Sieber, Roy and Frank Herreman. 2000. Hair in African Art and Culture. New York: Museum for African Art; Munich: Prestel, p. 126, no. 116.

Content Statement

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Credit Line

Gift of Judith Timyan

Early to mid-20th century

Object number

94-3-1

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Sculpture

Medium

Wood, gold leaf, thread

Dimensions

H x W x D: 15.6 x 4.1 x 1.5 cm (6 1/8 x 1 5/8 x 9/16 in.)

Geography

Côte d'Ivoire

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

National Museum of African Art

Topic

bird

Adornment

geometric motif

male

Record ID

nmafa_94-3-1

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys789f4cc7f-95dc-482d-bba7-87d0e162bc70