History's Runway: The Iris Comb, 1820

Berlin Iron Comb
Prussia or Germany, 1820
The Victoria & Albert Museum

“Berlin Iron,” in jewelry terms refers to this sort of lacy, black adornment which was first produced by the Prussian Royal Iron Foundaries around 1805. This type of jewelry became a symbol of the Prussian wars against France’s Napoleon Bonaparte when ladies would donate their gold jewelry to the cause and be given an iron piece in return.

While the practice remained predominately Prussian, during the French occupation of Berlin, the technique was learned and brought to France. In Germany, only a woman of the highest social rank would have worn Berlin Iron and, so, the work was associated with the upper echelon. A comb such as this one from about 1820 with its cameo of the goddess Iris is an ideal example of the delicacy of the work. Since iron tends to be a brittle substance which is also highly susceptible to rust, few example of this early Nineteenth Century art survive in such perfect condition. The pieces were often made in a Gothic Revival or Neoclassical style.