Native American, Pacific Northwest Coast, Tlingit or Haida, ca. late 19th to mid-20th century CE. This is a lovely wooden comb inlaid with nacre shell and carved into a totemic handle of a stylized bear devouring a human. The verso of the handle is completely flat and uncarved, the low relief carving entirely on the frontside compressed within the rectangular profile above 6 tines or comb teeth. Combs served several purposes, firstly for combing and hygiene but also for use in securing hair in place - the effigy handles were not only decorative but symbolic with ancestral totems and clan affiliations, and likely imbued the wearer with strength or power. Size: 5" L x 1.25" W (12.7 cm x 3.2 cm)

Provenance: private Brevard, North Carolina, USA collection

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#171000

Minor chips and tiny pressure fissures, otherwise intact and excellent. Polished surface and dark patina.