Rare Ivory comb returns to Westphalia for exhibition

A finely carved ivory double comb from the 12th century has gone on display at the LWL Museum of Archaeology and Culture in Herne, Germany. One of only 60 known examples, the comb is what is known as a liturgical comb, and the only one ever found in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The comb was discovered in a 2017 excavation at the Holsterburg octagonal castle near Warburg. It has a rectangular central panel on both sides, each decorated with a different intricately carved pictorial motifs. One side features a hunting scene of a dog attacking a hare in mid-leap. The other features to peacocks facing each other, chests together, wings and tails pointed backwards. It has two sets of teeth, long, wide-set ones on the bottom, short fine ones on the top.

Made from elephant ivory, the comb could have been made in the Byzantine Empire or one of the major workshops north of the Alps (Metz, Liège and Cologne all produced fine carved ivory). The material and craftsmanship mark it as a “liturgical” comb, so called because the few that have been recovered were found in church treasuries, not in secular collections. Liturgical combs were produced between 800 and 1200 A.D. and there are written accounts of these types of combs being used from the 10th century onwards to neaten the hair of prelates after they pulled on their vestments.

A recent microscopic study has found the remains of gold in the eye of the hare and on the handle above the peacocks, suggest it was originally chryselephantine, so even more precious and rare than other liturgical combs. It was also not found in a sacred context and given the pictorial subjects, archaeologists believe the comb likely belonged to the lords of Holthusen who built the castle and was lost in the third quarter of the 12th century.

Holsterburg unusual octagonal design and the high quality of its construction including amenities like a warm-air heating system indicate it was high-end even for a castle from the period, so the owners clearly spared no expense. Their belongings were therefore exceptional as well, and they were sought to represent their importance and ambitions by acquiring artifacts emblematic of high-ranking clergy and aristocracy.

The comb was conserved by LWL experts and then was displayed in special exhibitions in Berlin, Münster, and Paderborn. It has now settled into its permanent home, the LWL Museum in Herne.

* This article was originally published here