Hair Ornament Date Unknown

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this understated piece, an antique hair ornament of unknown date, currently held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: Oh, I love it! It's so simple, yet there's a raw, almost brutal elegance about it. Like something a warrior queen would use. Curator: That's a striking image! We see these sorts of objects within collections of adornment across numerous cultures; simple items intended to perform functions like holding up hair or other adornments, but as they enter into jewelry collections, they become imbued with cultural status. The materials indicate how embedded an individual was within their society and economy. Editor: Absolutely. The design is very interesting. The spike gives way to a ridged shape that has what appears to be an abstract animalistic figure above it, and the patina suggests a long life of handling. Curator: The artist, or craftsperson, appears to be anonymous. Without more historical metadata, our access points come via aesthetic considerations: What status signifiers does it represent, and how does its aesthetic appeal reflect on the wearer? What's the relationship between self-presentation and material culture at that time? Editor: The fact that the artist is anonymous lends an enigmatic feel. Makes you wonder about the untold stories, the hidden lives connected to such an intimate object. I find the contrast of the pointed tip with the fan-like end visually quite satisfying. Did it perhaps carry some symbolic significance too? Some adornment practices seem linked to ideas of power. Curator: Precisely. How were these pieces worn, what social identities or functions were promoted through these choices, and what ideas or concepts are promoted in our collecting and displaying them? Those remain crucial areas of inquiry. Editor: Well, thinking about the woman or man who originally used this ornament really gets my imagination firing. It's strange to consider this object outliving those that used it. Curator: Exactly, a humble object transformed by time and display. It takes on the aura of a time capsule in these collections. Editor: A brutal time capsule... Well, it has been fascinating seeing this object in this new context. It really makes you rethink things about beauty and social status.