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Antique Napoleon III Era Blond Hair Art Memento, Mourning Icon in 9.75" Frame
Antique Napoleon III Era Blond Hair Art Memento, Mourning Icon in 9.75" Frame
Antique Napoleon III Era Blond Hair Art Memento, Mourning Icon in 9.75" Frame
Antique Napoleon III Era Blond Hair Art Memento, Mourning Icon in 9.75" Frame
Antique Napoleon III Era Blond Hair Art Memento, Mourning Icon in 9.75" Frame
Antique Napoleon III Era Blond Hair Art Memento, Mourning Icon in 9.75" Frame
Antique Napoleon III Era Blond Hair Art Memento, Mourning Icon in 9.75" Frame
Antique Napoleon III Era Blond Hair Art Memento, Mourning Icon in 9.75" Frame

Antique Napoleon III Era Blond Hair Art Memento, Mourning Icon in 9.75" Frame

Regular price $595.00 Sale price $416.50
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Rare blond hair art in rare larger size, this is a c.1870-90 French memento, memorial bouquet made entirely of human hair. The blond hair is almost always a very young child, and I suspect it is so with this one. Almost all blond children's hair darkens a bit more as they grow older. So many families lost children, and of course few had the means to have portraits done or even photographs. But this type of hair art was traditional and treasured. Memorial jewelry was, as well. This type of display isn't usually quite this large. I'm guessing this has been a 4-6 year old long-haired darling. One can, otherwise, hope it is the shorn locks of an older girl whose hair was cut as she entered as a novitiate in process of becoming a nun. These were sometimes the resulting memento a family kept.

Very good to excellent condition for age and type. There are a few loose bits of hair. The backing hasn't been opened, nor glass cleaned. Since it's still sealed, I will leave it to the next owner to decide whether or not to do so. The few bits can easily be remounted to the white opaline glass panel upon which they are worked. You see them floating. The lush and rounded petals of the "flowers" are deliciously large and thick in this one. A real prize, rare! The outer frame is 9.75" x 8.25" and the deep bombe glass is without damage, fully intact and with a ornamented brass mat, nice ebonized wood frame.   I have a lot of these to get listed. Grouped, they make a beautiful collection. Watch for others to be listed, all sold separately.