Late 18Thc Whale Bone & Ebony Wig Scratcher C.1780

Stock No

2964

Member since
2013

£280.00

€337 Euro
$351 US Dollar

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Item Description

The wonderfully tactile wig or back scratcher of particularly long size, the elegant hand crafted in whale bone to an ebony handle terminating in a knop, the whole surviving from the last quarter of the eighteenth century.

The piece is in very good original order which is hard to find with examples of this type and has a superb patina.

Large wigs were considered an investment and were often left in wills, along with other valuables. A small hand on the end of a long slender stick like this was used to relieve the irritation, in a dignified manner, caused by the numerous fleas infesting the elaborate wigs worn by fashionable 18th century women and courtiers.

The wigs were built up over wire foundations and padded out with false hair to reach fantastic heights, vermin were attracted by the powder and pomatum used and caused tremendous itching reachable only by the wig scratcher. Gentleman’s wig scratchers were a lot shorter as women’s wigs in the 18th century were typically larger, more elaborate, and heavily styled, often reaching significant heights.

A lovely scarce curio and one that that is hard to put down when picked up.

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