I’ve added subtitles to a part of this video made by the National Museum of Ceramics And Decorative Arts “González Martí”(in València, capital city of the Valencian Country) for the temporary exhibition on Valencian combs titled “From typical to stereotypical”, dedicated to the Valencian ornamental comb.
Ornamental hair combs have existed in many cultures. Probably the most famous ornamental combs word-wide are the Chinese combs (梳篦, shubi) and Spanish combs (peineta), though it has also been significant in other cultures such as Japan (櫛, kushi):
Historical images of Chinese women wearing a comb. Source: The New Hanfu. Modern-made Chinese hair accessories from CoolBee.
Even though they’re not as internationally-famous, the Valencian combs are beautiful pieces. Chinese and Japanese combs are generally worn in front of the bun, while the Spanish combs are worn on the back of the head. The Valencian comb is never worn in front, instead they are worn on the back of the head and smaller ones can be worn on the sides of the head.
Photo of Valencian women dressed in the fallera outfit. Photo by Martin Leitch.
These combs became popular in the 18th century in the Valencian Country. In the 18th century, decorative hair combs also existed in other parts of South-West Europe, but it went out of fashion quickly everywhere except for in the Valencian Country. Here, the combs kept being in use and they evolved in their own unique way.
Since the early 19th century, it was already recognized as one of the characteristic elements of the stereotypical Valencian woman’s outfit (we know that because it became trendy for ladies in the Spanish Court to dress up as a Valencian woman for masquerades). Descriptions of the 19th century also mention how the combs were very widespread in both the city and countryside of València to be worn by women in all formal or social occasions.
Nowadays, the only occasion when women wear these combs is during holidays such as the Falles (holiday explained in this post), when some women dress in traditional outfit. There are still artisans who make the combs, following the techniques explained in the video above, since there is a pretty big industry of traditional style clothes for the Falles holidays.
Disclaimer: I have no idea about the accuracy of the information shared in the drama, I’m merely transcribing for future reference purposes. Proceed with caution!
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Ep 2: Filigree Inlay Cont. And other Misc.
Empress Dowager Cixi’s Gold painted Assorted Comb Set
From lacquer cases in Warring States period to modern dressing tables and jewelry boxes, women used mirror cases to store jewelries and cosmetics.
A rectangular comb to smooth the tangled hair. A middle sized crescent comb for the exquisite swallow-tail bun. 8-shaped small comb to gently smooth out hair on the temples and hair ends. Double-edged, fine-toothed Bizi comb to smooth meridians and remove stains in the hair. A brush for oiling. Tian-tsui hairpins made by Kingfisher feathers and gold wires inlaid with jewels. Finally, a Dalachi headpiece secured on the top of the head, decorated by flowers and pins.
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Song Dynasty Ruiguang Pagoda Pillar
Found in 1978, diameter of crystal ball on top is 3.4 cm with flame shaped silver wires wrapped on both sides around gold lettering saying Namo Maha Prajna Paramita. More than 40000 pieces of pearls are used on the pillar, integrated with several other crafts such as wood engraving, gold painting, jade carving and beading.
Chinese Shubi（Hair Comb）
Shubi 梳篦, also called as zhi :栉, is a generic term used for Chinese combs in China, which includes thick-teeth comb shu 梳 and thin-teeth comb bi 篦
. Shubi originated about 6000 years ago in China during the late Neolithic period. Some Chinese combs dating from the Shang dynasty were found in the Tomb of Fuhao. In ancient China, Chinese combs had a high special status, a high artistic value, was an important form of hair ornament in Chinese history. Chinese comb also had and continues to hold unique cultural meaning and emotional value. Chinese combs in China were not used only for grooming purposes, they were also used holding and decorating hair. Both Chinese men and women wore decorative combs in their hair in ancient China. Chinese women often wore combs and fine-tooth combs in their hair buns. Chinese comb-making was also an important form of traditional Chinese art and business industry.
Hi! If you’re taking requests, I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the historical legitimacy of the fountain hair combing thing Azula was doing or the spa that Katara and Toph went to. I guess I’m curious about what grooming habits would be typical for the cultures/general time period the ATLA world is set in. Your blog is awesome btw, there’s so much great information!
Hmm, I haven’t found anything regarding how Asian royals washed their hair or bathed, but it seems plausible. Tiled bathrooms equipped with drainage holes and early sewage pipes have existed in China since the Warring States Period (475 BC – 221 BC). And royals seldom do basic tasks for themselves so the hair-brushing servants make sense.
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The comb they use on Azula’s hair is pretty accurate.
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The spa that Toph and Katara go to has some historical basis, although they’d be called public baths or bathhouses rather than “spa”. Soft and delicate feet were considered a focal point of female beauty for many parts of Chinese history, so I could see the foot cleaning scene being historically plausible. The mudbath scene seems pretty modern, as mudbaths don’t seem to have been practiced historically in any Asian culture. But considering how central the element of earth is to the Earth Kingdom, it makes a lot of sense in-universe. Finally, the sauna the two enjoy at the end is also pretty modern; what most westerners think of as a sauna comes from Finland.
Now for Some Fun Facts about Hygiene:
Bathhouses started getting really popular during the Song Dynasty. Apart from bathing, the bathhouses also offered back massage and nail cutting services. They also offered tea, liquor, fruits and cakes as refreshment after the bath. There’s even a famous Chinese poem about it by the poet Su Shi (蘇軾), 1037–1101. Enjoy my rough translation:
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Rice water, the cloudy water you get from washing rice, was used to wash hair and body. The proteins and minerals in the water were great for skin and cuticles.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the rule of thumb was to wash your hair every 3 days and to bathe every 5 days. This rule was so ingrained in the culture that government officials were given a day off every five days for the purpose of going home to take a bath. So that might be a good baseline for the Gaang’s bathing habits. Iroh/Zuko/Azula, however, are royalty so they likely bathed more frequently than that. Azula, in particular, strikes me as someone who would bathe everyday just as a matter of flexing her status. Really gives context to that one scene with Zuko and Iroh in “Bato of the Water Tribe”:
Zuko: Out of my way! Step aside, filth!
Iroh: He means no offense! I’m certain you bathe regularly…
Comb Top, 8th–9th century, China, Tang dynasty (618–907)
Mother-of-pearl
From the late eighth to the tenth century, it was fashionable for Chinese women to wear decorated combs as part of their coiffure. Comb tops were made of such precious materials as gold, silver, jade, and mother-of- pearl and were ornamented with popular decorative motifs.
Asked by spicyswordlady-deactivated20220
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