An Ancient Roman pair of bronze cosmetic tweezers, featuring rectangular outer faces and a finely modelled pointed end. The details shown in this beautiful example of Roman everyday items demonstrate the mastery that Ancient Romans had in working bronze.
Date: Circa 1st-3rd Century AD Condition: Fine, with signs of aging and bronze patination to the surface.
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 women throughout the Empire. The item’s shape and fine decoration suggest that this was its use, rather than for minor surgical operations, which typically required a tool with longer and narrower arms.
