Horlogeketting van haar en goud c. 1845

Editor: Here we have a "Horlogeketting van haar en goud," or Watch Chain of Hair and Gold, made around 1845 by Firma W. Vinke Larsen. It strikes me as incredibly intimate. It's a watch chain, yes, but made of hair! What do you make of this unusual piece? Curator: Intimate is exactly the word. Think of what it meant to wear something crafted from a loved one's hair. Back then, a lock of hair was like a portable piece of someone’s soul. Imagine the weight, not just of the gold, but of the connection to the person from whom the hair came. Almost like carrying a whispered secret or a fragrant memory. Editor: So it's not just decorative; it’s deeply sentimental. I am wondering what it meant for the gold to intersect this deeply intimate medium? Curator: Precisely! The gold provides structure, yes, and shows some wealth, but the focus remains stubbornly on the hair itself. Consider it an eternal embrace, a tactile reminder of presence during absence. The gold only accentuates that fact. Sentimental jewelry was common during the Romantic period. What do you think of the contrast of this sentimental medium meeting more high-end, luxurious gold? Editor: It elevates it, definitely. And places a lot more meaning on jewelry during that era than it does today! Today a watch is just for the function, maybe style, but then it symbolized so much more. Curator: Exactly! These weren't just adornments, they were wearable stories! I almost imagine someone, perhaps a sailor at sea, holding onto this chain and feeling tethered to home, can't you just envision that? Editor: Yes! What a new lens for thinking about art. I think I might have underestimated the sentimentality imbued in objects such as these. Curator: Precisely! This really allows one to reconsider some very beautiful notions about presence and time.