Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Comb maker
(846 words)

Combs of various forms, materials, and styles of decoration survive dating back to Antiquity. In church liturgy, richly decorated consecration combs were used during the consecration of a bishop, and some survive as grave goods [9]. Most surviving combs since the 14th century were from the profane sphere [5. 33].

Combs, as Christoph Weigel stated in his 1698 book of the estates, served ornament and cleanliness. The hair comb, however, was also a metaphor for a feminine craving for extravagance. They were used to remove infestations, and the …

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Reith, Reinhold, “Comb maker”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_021880>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170206



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