Lot 122. A carved ivory comb, Sri Lanka, 18th century; 12 by 9.8cm. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 GBP. Lot sold 7,500  GBP. Photo Sotheby's

of rectangular-form carved and pierced with a dancing girl flanked by two peacocks surrounded by foliate scrolls, bordered by narrow beading and diamond trellis bands, heightened with black and red lac, with customised collector's box.

Provenance: Winkel and Rasmussen Auctioneers, Copenhagen, 1933
Lau Sunde (1910-1979), dealer and collector of tribal and Far Eastern art, Copenhagen
Helen Schou (1905-2006), artist-sculptor and collector, Copenhagen
Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, Copenhagen, 29 October 2009, lot 745
Galerie Eros, Copenhagen
Acquired in 2010.

Note: The diamond patterned border known as kundi rakkan was a popular decorative device found on a number of Sinhalese objects during this period. An eighteenth-century comb from The Clive Collection with the same diamond border is illustrated in Archer 1987, p.91, no.122. Another Sinhalese comb of similar design is in LACMA (see Pal 1981, p.74, no.63).

The comb passed through the hands of the Danish collector Lau Sunde (1910-1979), a dealer known for his knowledge of tribal art and his extensive collection of African and Far Eastern art. A significant part of Lau Sunde's collection was sold at auction, Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, 29 October 2009. The following is a quotation from the auction catalogue:

'Even as a young man before the Second World War, Lau Sunde was a dedicated collector. Initially he collected weaponry but soon developed an interest in ethnographic art. This led to the opening of the “Etnografica” boutique in 1948, which became recognised among collectors as the only specialised boutique of its kind [in Copenhagen] at the time... Buying a piece of art from Sunde remained a mark of quality, and his pieces could easily be identified, even years after being removed from his store, due to their characteristic aroma of Sunde's cigars.' (Bruun Rasmussen auction catalogue, Copenhagen, 29 October 2009).

Sotheby's. The Sven Gahlin Collection, London, 06 october 2015