Comb

Yaka artist

mid 20th century

Wood

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A carved wooden comb features two stylized faces stacked vertically above three tines. Hairstyles have long reflected personal aesthetics in African and African-American cultures. And when adorned with extensions, beads, pins, or combs, they can indicate a person’s status, ethnic origin, gender, profession, or even what phase of life they’re in. These three combs, from West and Central Africa, show how African artists turn even everyday objects into accomplished carvings. Gallery G254 Gift of George W. Rickey in memory of Edith L. Rickey