H-Comb, 1500-1600, made in France or England. Richly carved boxwood combs were given as expensive love tokens in medieval times. The carver chose boxwood because it was the only wood with a sufficiently straight and dense grain to allow him to carve such fine teeth without splitting. He cut the teeth using a double-bladed saw called a stadda. A skilled craftsman with a steady hand could usually cut up to fifty teeth per inch

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Photo credit: © Artokoloro / Alamy / Afripics
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