- Title
- Hairpin with a Lion and Female Dancers
- Date Made
- 18th century
- Medium
- Ivory
- Dimensions
- 6 3/8 x 1 5/8 x 3/16 in. (16.19 x 4.13 x .48 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.87.275.2
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
Similar in shape to a modern hair pick, this zoomorphic hairpin has a handle in the form of a lion shown in profile. His upper torso is erect. He crouches on one bent knee, with both forepaws on the ground. His gaping mouth snarls with bared fangs and a long tongue. He has large almond-shaped eyes and pointed ears. His mane extends down his back, under his throat, and forms a spiky crest on his head. He has tufts of hair on his haunches and shoulders, with the latter resembling stylized wings. He wears a necklace and a belt. The lion is poised on a plinth decorated with four dancing female figures on the obverse and a length of cable molding on the reverse. The hairpin has seven thick tapering tooths.
Ornamental hairpins and combs made in a variety of materials have long been used throughout South Asia for personal adornment. Ivory hairpins and combs survive from at least the early centuries of the common era (see AC1992.214.1-.14 and M.86.255), and numerous specimens exist from the 18th and 19th century (see M.80.232.1 and M.83.218.5). They are typically embellished with divinities, dancing figures, or animals, as well as geometric designs.
- Selected Bibliography
- Pal, Pratapaditya. Elephants and Ivories in South Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1981.