Lock of Franz Liszt's Hair
primary
Franz Liszt
(Sopron, Hungary, 1811 - 1886, Bayreuth, Germany)
compiler
Unknown
Dateabout 1886
Place MadeGermany, Europe
MediumHuman hair; silver filigree box
Dimensions3.5 x 0.7 cm (1 3/8 x 1/4 in.)
ClassificationsVessels
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberU1n9.a-b
eMuseum ID717403
EmbARK ObjectID17464
TMS Source ID5736
Last Updated10/2/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThis lock of hair belonged to composer Franz Liszt. He passed away during a musical festival devoted to the works of Richard Wagner in Bayreuth, Germany, in July 1886. Isabella Stewart Gardner, who was also attending the festival, supported Liszt’s grieving friends and family. She ordered a wreath that was placed beside Queen Victoria’s at the funeral, and was the first to cast a shovel of earth onto his coffin.
BibliographyNotesMorris Carter. Isabella Stewart Gardner and Fenway Court (Boston, 1925; Reprint, Boston, 1972), p. 101.
Ana Barrett, "Belle of the Opera: Gardner and Wagner," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 20 July 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/belle-opera-gardner-and-wagner
Ana Barrett, "Belle of the Opera: Gardner and Wagner," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 20 July 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/belle-opera-gardner-and-wagner
ProvenanceNotesProbably entered the collection of Isabella Stewart Gardner in July 1886 at the time of the composer, pianist, and teacher Franz Liszt's (1811-1886) death, Bayreuth, Germany.
