Indonesian Hai Kara Jangga Ornamental Comb Diadem

A whole parade marches around the crown: deer, birds and a ribbed figure standing tall in the middle.

This Hai Kara Jangga ornamental comb diadem comes from Sumba, Indonesia, and dates to the late 19th / early 20th century. On Sumba, combs of this kind were generally worn by women of high rank, set upright in the hair. The crest here is cut into a frieze of horned deer, long-necked birds and a central figure with a ribbed body and raised arms. Below, bands of fine dotted incision circle the curved body, which glows a mottled, translucent brown. A black metal stand supports it. It is 6.5 inches wide and 6.25 high.

A crown, a comb and a story, all at once.