Ornamental comb made from silver, enamelled in turquoise, blue and lilac, worn as a woman's hair ornament. . The crest is embellished with a floral and foliate design, surmounted by five projecting objects, each of which has a symbolic meaning. The melon represents fertility, the hand with thumb touching forefinger symbolises perfection or enlightenment, the halberd or ji, is an auspicious symbol, the guandao, represents victory over evil and the two interlocking cash designs represent wealth.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
