Antique French hemp comb / carder 11"

A very rare nineteenth-century carder from Chanteduc, the home of Patricia and Walter Wells in Provence. Part of Walter's collection of old tools that would have been used on their farm.  Walter explains that a carder is used to "card" or straighten out fibers for cotton or wool. This carder was used for hemp or "chanvre" once a common crop in Provence. Hemp was used to make rope. Note, it has been displayed outdoors in the weather for several years so is in a rustic, timeworn condition.