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Comb

A gray steel comb with two holes on the body of the comb that are equidistant from the ends.

A gray steel comb with two holes on the body of the comb that are equidistant from the ends.

Artist Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887–1968)
Title Comb (Peigne)
Date 1964 edition (after 1916 original)
Medium Steel
Dimensions Object: 1/16 × 6 1/2 × 1 3/16 in. (0.2 × 16.5 × 3 cm)
Overall (box): 7/8 × 7 1/4 × 2 3/16 in. (2.2 × 18.4 × 5.6 cm)
Credit Line Partial gift of Mrs. William H. Conroy, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 71.37.5

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About this Work

Possibly a dog or cattle comb, but also reminding the viewer of the action of combing human hair, this readymade alludes to the bestial and the erotic. The inscription “3 or 4 gouttes de hauteur n’ont rien a faire avec la sauvagerie” is typically translated as “3 or 4 drops of height have nothing to do with savagery.” While the meaning of this statement is unclear, it seems that Duchamp was commenting upon unsociable or even sadistic behavior.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Comb | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=71.37.5