This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseIvory roulette, double, with ridged roller and three balls
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Ivory roulette, double, with ridged roller and three balls
Made from ivory, this type of massager is known as a roulette. The two different ends, one ridged and one made up of three independently rotating balls, give different sensations to the body. The massager would have been purchased from a chemist and used at home, possibly with oils.
Massage is an ancient activity practised by medical professionals and non-professionals alike across a range of different medical traditions. As well as being a means of healing and relieving pain, it also helps people to feel relaxed.
Details
- Category:
- Therapeutics
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A161658
- Materials:
- whole, ivory and whole, steel
- type:
- massager
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust (Purchased from Stevens)
