Ornamental hair bar (kogai) with peonies

Japanese (Artist)

19th century

Elephant ivory, coral, gilding, mother-of-pearl, pigmented wax, tortoiseshell

In Japan, decorative hair combs and hair bars became popular with the emergence of elaborate hairstyles during the 17th century. At first, ivory hair ornaments were mostly confined to women of the elite, but as the standard of living improved from the 18th century onwards, more women across all strata of Japanese society could own such luxuries. Hair ornaments reflected a woman’s social class, age, marital status, and individual taste.

Share

Geographies

Japan (Place of Origin)

Measurements

H: 3 11/16 × W: 7/8 × D: 1/2 in. (9.4 × 2.3 × 1.2 cm)

Location in Museum

Not on view

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

71.807

Do you have additional information?

Notify the curator