A Scythian bronze comb
Circa 2nd-1st Century B.C.
The bell-shaped body decorated in relief with two standing horses, two running horses above, dotted circles in the field, surmounted by a crescent and a fragmentary loop (?), the eleven teeth below partially preserved, the reverse with a mesh pattern from the casting process, 7.2cm high注脚Provnenace:
Private collection, New York, 1980s-1990s.

Published:
T. Pang, Treasures of the Eurasian Steppes: Animal Art from 800 BC to 200 AD, New York, 1998, p.96, no. 103.

It is thought that combs and mirrors were carried in bags suspended on belts, suggesting that personal grooming was important in Scythian culture. The small scale of this comb suggests that it was worn in the hair as adornment. The mesh pattern on the reverse suggests the comb was produced using two moulds pressed together.