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 two sitting birds and decorated in geometric designs.
Provenance: Judith Timyan, acquired Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire, 1974 to 1994
Exhibition History: 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. 115.

Early to mid-20th century

National Museum of African Art

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys79b4c1863-9617-42cb-adb6-29d7e993ac14