Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hair comb

Swahili artist

Date: about 1800
Medium: Ivory, gold
Culture: Swahili
Department: Arts of Global Africa
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art

Whoever gave this comb to his wife more than 200 years ago must have loved her dearly. Carefully carved and made of precious materials (elephant ivory and gold folio), it’s something the owner would have shown off, perhaps even wearing it in her hair. It would signal that she was among the wealthy elite of Zanzibar, and had married well. Swahili, Tanzania, Africa

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