Silver and celluloid decorative comb. Mystery origin.

This style is a total mystery to me, and I don't even know if the silver and the comb started out life together.
The seller thought it was Indonesian, but it is not an Indonesian style I know. Indonesians make gorgeous decorative combs, but not like this one.

The celluloid comb is Western in style, and looks hand pierced. It doesn't look older than 1960s to me, but some Edwardian and older decorative combs look pristine, so I can't tell for sure.
The silver plaque could be older than this comb, but was obviously made for a comb. It is handmade, with a hammered surface. This is the original size, nothing has been cut off, so it was not part of a silver comb.
It is stuck on the comb with a glue gun, but that could be a 'repair' by a previous owner. I have already removed several blobs of glue.
Total height 13 cm/5.11", width 10.5 cm/4.13"






It reminds me a bit of the style of the Dutch-Indonesian Art Nouveau artist Jan Toorop:


Other than that I have no idea, maybe someone else has?
Thank you for looking.

 

Bet it's South American. That would account for the combination of a peineta with colonial-style silver.

Debora

 

Could be, I searched on google and pinterest, but no resemblance so far.

 

Couldn't find anything similar either. But certainly doesn't look European.

Debora

 

No, it doesn't, except for the comb. I used to have several Spanish peinetas, the style of the celluloid backing is similar to those, but the silver isn't of course.
Dutch Art Nouveau and Art Deco are influenced by Indonesian art, but I have never seen anything like this in Dutch examples.

 

Does the curvature of the silver exactly match that of the comb? Both materials can be shaped to a degree after making, but think it would be very hard to get a perfect fit if they did not start together.

Technically, don't know if Celluloid is the right term. Not sure it had the right properties to imitate translucent tortoise shell this way. So many names for early plastics & I'm no expert.

Agree the sensibility of the decoration on the silver doesn't look European, so also agree South America is a good place to look.

 

Yes it does. The silver could have been bent a little to accomodate another comb, or this was the original one, I don't know.

 

I think it is Mexican.
The silver looks somewhat Mayan in design.
I think time period is 1940 - 60, because of the silversmiths of the time.

 

My .02 centavos

That silver was put on after the fact. Why would you go to all the trouble of cutting out the design on the comb only to cover it up.

 

Like Spratling design, but not Spratling? Could be, I'll search in that direction.

 

My thought as well. I even thought about taking the silver off and putting it on a simpler comb. Two nice combs for the price of one.

 

William Spratling serpents, different, but I'll keep searching.

 

I should emend this. What I really meant is that they are unlikely to have started out as 2 unrelated pieces, that one had to be made to fit the other.

No one went to any trouble cutting this one, it was made from a mold.

 

Absolutely! These mantilla combs didn't need a silver decor application, the cut out was the decor!
On mantilla inspired combs, the decor should have been riveted on a plain area
AJ, excellent idea to remove the beautiful silver motif for adding it to a simple plain high comb

 

Either that, or some "bloke in a shed" in Mexico made the silver to fit a pre-existing comb he'd gotten his hands on. That makes sense to me. The comb wasn't meant to be decorated, but a customer wanted one and the silversmith used what he could get.

 

Just a comment with which others may disagree... I wouldn't call this a "mantilla comb" as it's not really high enough to carry a mantilla. As an example, here is Queen Sofia of Spain (as a young woman.)

Debora

 

@Any Jewelry
I don't think it is one of the high end jewelry makers - such as Spratling or Margot.

When I was searching matilla combs and penietas, I only saw one other tortoise shell/celluloid comb with silver.

This may have been a special order.
Personally, I wouldn't take the silver off.

 

The comb itself is of the slightly higher end variety, from a mold and then hand pierced. You can see the sharp, slightly serrated cuts in this detail of the back:


The more expensive Spanish peinetas are still made like that, I've been to a workshop where they make them. (And had to buy one of course)

 

I agree, someone made a messy job of two otherwise nice pieces.

I'm on it, I just took out my ornamental hair jewellery box and found something that fits. I just hope the heat from the glue gun didn't melt the surface of the comb.

 

I think that was it. Although I am inclined to think the silver was made for a comb that broke, and the bloke in the shed stuck it on another one the wife wasn't wearng anyway.

I agree. Ornamental combs used to be fashionable in Western and Western influenced countries.
Here is a 19th century Dutch example (also from my ornamental hair jewellery box), never worn with a mantilla, but meant to look beautiful on its own: