Comb with a crucifixion Copy of 9th-10th century original.

Curator: This is a comb with a crucifixion scene, an intriguing piece held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s quite striking, isn’t it? There’s a fragility to the ivory that makes the scene feel both delicate and weighty. Curator: Exactly, and thinking about it as a comb, a functional item, really brings the sacred into daily life. What was the role of religious objects in people's lives? Editor: I wonder about the maker, too. Ivory carving would require specialized tools and skills; where was this comb produced, and who might have commissioned it? Curator: And then there's the image itself. How did the politics of religious imagery and display shape the understanding of faith in the period it was made? Editor: I’m left pondering the sheer intimacy of such an object—a personal item mediating profound spiritual concepts. Curator: Indeed, it's a powerful reminder of the intersection between the mundane and the divine.