austen fan gambles on locket
A lock of Jane Austen’s hair (well, not definitely her hair…but that’s what they think) sold for £4,800($9,478) at an auction house in England.
The hair – inside a locket – is shaped to look like a weeping willow that hovers over a gravestone bearing Jane Austen’s name.
It’s well known and documented that Jane’s sister Cassandra cut off some of Jane’s hair after she died, according to the Dominic Winter Auction House. But they can’t prove that this is in fact Jane’s hair.
“Of course, the lock could have been cut from the head of another Jane Austen as the name is not uncommon and Jane even had a cousin named Jane Austen,” according to the auction house. “It's easier to believe this is the Jane Austen than not.”
Image paying almost $10,000 for hair that might be from the head of a famous writer, but might also just be some random dead woman’s hair? Hairwork was popular in England during the Victorian era, according to Dominic Winter. However, this was an expensive endeavor, so not just any Joe could have hairy jewelry. 
“The lock of hair was more of a gamble as in spite of research we could not prove its authenticity,” auctioneer Chris Albury said. “It's definitely of the right period and as a sophisticated piece of hair artwork incorporating Jane Austen's name on balance we and other specialists think it most likely that this is the Jane Austen rather than another of the same name. If we had been able to prove it conclusively I'm sure there would have been a lot more bidders and a much higher price. The truth may never be known and at the end of the day I don't think it was an expensive gamble for a serious Austen collector used to spending five-figure sums."
The hair – inside a locket – is shaped to look like a weeping willow that hovers over a gravestone bearing Jane Austen’s name.
It’s well known and documented that Jane’s sister Cassandra cut off some of Jane’s hair after she died, according to the Dominic Winter Auction House. But they can’t prove that this is in fact Jane’s hair.
“Of course, the lock could have been cut from the head of another Jane Austen as the name is not uncommon and Jane even had a cousin named Jane Austen,” according to the auction house. “It's easier to believe this is the Jane Austen than not.”
Image paying almost $10,000 for hair that might be from the head of a famous writer, but might also just be some random dead woman’s hair? Hairwork was popular in England during the Victorian era, according to Dominic Winter. However, this was an expensive endeavor, so not just any Joe could have hairy jewelry.
“The lock of hair was more of a gamble as in spite of research we could not prove its authenticity,” auctioneer Chris Albury said. “It's definitely of the right period and as a sophisticated piece of hair artwork incorporating Jane Austen's name on balance we and other specialists think it most likely that this is the Jane Austen rather than another of the same name. If we had been able to prove it conclusively I'm sure there would have been a lot more bidders and a much higher price. The truth may never be known and at the end of the day I don't think it was an expensive gamble for a serious Austen collector used to spending five-figure sums."
Labels: jane austen locket
This entry was posted by kate, on Tuesday, June 24, 2008. You can
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