In Ancient Roman society, tweezers were used as cosmetic and medical tools. Cosmetic tweezers, called vulsella, were mainly used for depilation, which was fashionable amongst men and women throughout the Empire. Personal hygiene was greatly valued by the Ancient Romans, with baths part of the daily routine, with many having their own individual sets of cosmetic tools. Medical tweezers such as these would have been used for relatively small procedures such a removing debris from wounds as well as removing lice from hair. This style of tweezer with flat jaws may have been similar to the ones Paul of Aegina recommends for epilation of granular conjunctivitis in comprehensive account of ancient surgical practices.
Roman Bronze Tweezers
£ 195.00
A fine Roman bronze pair of tweezers featuring a decorative head. The head is enriched with three horizontal raised bands, followed by a piriform shape. Above are two further horizontal raised bands and a spherical terminal. The tips of the tweezer are comprised of a flat tip pincer which converges inwards to allow for spring tension to be created. The arms of this tweezer are rather long compared to others found from this period, suggesting that they were likely used for surgical rather than cosmetic procedures.
Provenance: From the private collection of a New York, USA Gentleman.
Condition: Good. Green patination covering the surface
SOLD
| Weight | 24.6 g |
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| Dimensions | L 13.9 x W 0.8 cm |
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