Lady in a Blue Dress with a Hair Necklace
Frederik Christian Camradt
The miniature portraits of the Danish painter Frederik Christian Camradt are of varying quality. Specific idiosyncrasies of his style become obvious particularly when he painted from life.1 The eyes are always accentuated and wide open, with their particularly dark pupils clearly visible, even though the upper eyelids tend to be strongly painted. The lips are also rendered strongly, often shown as pursed. The basic tone is warm; dark colours in the clothing as well as shades of red and brown dominate the painting.
This portrait shows these idiosyncrasies, although Camradt achieved an impressively individual and unaffected representation of a young girl with an unusual item of jewellery. In addition to three-tier drop earrings, she is wearing a necklace made of hair, which is fastened at the front with a set stone. Human hair had been used in the production of jewellery since the 18th century. This practice stemmed from the desire to feel close to a loved one or to a deceased person. Incorporating a lock of hair or a shaped design made of hair on the reverse of a miniature portrait was particularly popular in England. However, plaited hair jewellery was a German specialty that had its heyday in the 19th century. Such jewellery was frequently made by amateurs working to specific instructions.2
J. S. O.