Comb with interlacing
French Guyana, Maroni. Ndjuka. First half 20th century. Wood. Gift from Henry Larsen, assistant taxidermist at the Natural History Museum in 1956; acquired in 1954-1955 during a scientific expedition in French Guyana in which Henry Larsen and May Pellaton participated; context of creation not documented. MEG Inv. ETHAM 025428
These two combs show successive tembe styles. The style termed
“owl’s eyes”, practised in the second half of the 19th century,
is characterized by two central, round holes, an absence of
superposition and an undecorated surface. The principle of
interlacing, done using a dry point compass, arrived in the early
20th century and has been dominant up until now with constant
changes. T. Mouzard
