RARE BRITISH MILITARY OFFICER PORTRAIT MINIATURE W/ HIS WOVEN HUMAN HAIR – 1795 For Sale

RARE GEORGIAN BRITISH MILITARY OFFICER PORTRAIT MINIATURE WITH WOVEN HUMAN HAIR – CIRCA 1795–1810Offered is an exceptional antique Georgian portrait miniature depicting a young British Army officer in uniform, with an elaborate panel of woven human hair preserved beneath glass on the reverse.The miniature appears to date from approximately 1795–1810, placing it during the French Revolutionary / Napoleonic era.The officer is depicted wearing a traditional British scarlet military coat with dark blue facings/collar, metallic-colored epaulette and trim, high black stock and a white shoulder/crossbelt bearing what appears to be a regimental belt plate.The reverse contains one of the most remarkable features of the piece: a substantial quantity of human hair that has been carefully flattened and woven into an intricate basket-weave pattern. Hairwork of this type was used in Georgian portrait miniatures as an intimate keepsake and was also associated with mourning and memorial jewelry.The piece has a suspension loop at the top and was presumably intended to be worn as a pendant or treasured as a personal keepsake.POSSIBLE REGIMENTAL ATTRIBUTIONResearch into the uniform suggests that the sitter may have served in a British Royal regiment. One possibility currently being researched is the 4th (King’s Own) Regiment of Foot.The King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum documents a silver officer’s crossbelt plate dating approximately 1800–1812, consistent with the period represented by this miniature.However, the officer’s identity and regiment have NOT been definitively established, and the 4th Regiment attribution should be considered a research possibility rather than a confirmed identification.The single epaulette and overall uniform configuration are consistent with a commissioned company-grade British Army officer of the period.FAMILY / PROVENANCE STORYThe story accompanying the miniature is that the young officer depicted died and that the woven hair preserved behind his portrait belonged to him.I have no written documentation proving this history, so it is being included as the oral history associated with the piece rather than as an established fact.Regardless of whether the hair represents mourning or another form of sentimental remembrance, elaborate hairwork displayed behind portrait miniatures is a documented Georgian practice.DATE: Approximately 1795–1810ORIGIN: Great Britain / BritishSUBJECT: British Army officerPERIOD: Georgian / French Revolutionary–Napoleonic eraMEDIUM: Hand-painted portrait miniature. The exact painting support has NOT been tested or independently authenticated.REVERSE: Elaborately woven/plaited human hair beneath transparent cover.FRAME: Gilt-colored metal; metal composition has not been tested.ARTIST: Unknown / unsigned as far as I can determine.SITTER: Currently unidentified.REGIMENT: Unconfirmed. 4th (King’s Own) Regiment of Foot is presently being investigated as a possible attribution.CONDITIONPlease examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.The piece displays age-related wear consistent with an object approximately two centuries old. There is a visible line/crack-like feature across the portrait area. The outer transparent cover itself does not appear to me to be cracked, so this may involve the painted miniature/support beneath it, but I have not disassembled the piece and cannot determine its exact nature.The woven hairwork remains remarkably substantial and visually striking.The miniature has NOT been opened, cleaned, restored or otherwise disturbed by me.This is being sold as an antique historical object exactly as photographed.An unusual opportunity for a collector of Georgian portrait miniatures, British military history, Napoleonic-era militaria, mourning jewelry, sentimental jewelry or antique hairwork.Further research may potentially establish the officer’s regiment and identity.