Mexican Folk order Art Carved Comb

Wonderful Mexican folk art ornamental comb with carved and painted woman. The order comb is lacquered cow horn with Indian ink painted details and measures approx 9 x 4.5 cm. She has some lovely painted detail. Here are some nibbles to the comb and a split where her feet meet the comb but it is a very sturdy piece still.

The comb is most likely from San Antonio de la Isla, which was home to a large number of small workshops producing these in the early 20th century. They were mostly used to remove lice and nits. Production dwindled to a single artisan, who has been making these since he was 8 years old. There are many examples of these combs in the Ruth Lechuga collection at the Museo Franz Mayer and the Museo de Arte Popular, both in Mexico City.