Renaissance Period Bone Comb - 81 mm

"Rare 17th Century Dutch Bone Comb
Culture / Period: Renaissance Period
Date / Period: 17th Century
Material: Bone
Dimensions: 81 x 57 mm
Condition: Good condition

No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 37

The current owner purchased the 17th Century Dutch Bone Comb from a private collector, N.N., in Utrecht.
The previous owner, a private collector from Utrecht (the Netherlands), stated that the object had been in his collection since an unknown date.
According to the previous owner, the object had previously been part of a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1990s.
No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object is available.

Background Information:
This Dutch Bone comb dates to the 17th century and belongs to the material culture of personal care in the Renaissance and early modern period. Combs were everyday objects used by both men and women for grooming, arranging the hair, and maintaining personal hygiene. The double-sided construction, with finer and wider teeth, allowed the comb to serve different practical purposes, from tidying the hair to removing dirt or lice, a common concern in pre-modern domestic life.

Bone was a widely used material for small personal objects, valued for its durability, workable surface, and availability. The comb was carefully cut, shaped, and finished by hand, with long rows of individually formed teeth and simple linear decoration across the central panel. This reflects an organised craft tradition in which functional items were made with precision and a restrained decorative character.

In the Dutch Republic of the 17th century, objects connected with personal appearance formed part of daily household life across different social levels. While more luxurious grooming tools could be made from Bone, tortoiseshell, silver, or finely carved materials, Bone combs remained practical and well-made possessions. They were used in private domestic settings and formed part of the broader culture of cleanliness, presentation, and personal discipline that characterised early modern urban society.

Comparable combs are known from archaeological contexts in towns, houses, refuse layers, and occasionally burial or devotional contexts across the Netherlands and north-western Europe. Their survival provides insight into aspects of life that are often less visible in written sources: bodily care, household routines, craft production, and the everyday objects handled by ordinary people.

Dating to the 17th century, this comb forms a tangible connection to early modern Dutch daily life. It is a modest but evocative object, showing how practical personal items were carefully produced and regularly used in the intimate routines of the people who once owned them.
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