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Substantial lock of hair from the head of renowned Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, consisting of a light honey-colored lock, approximately measuring 1.5˝ x 1˝, preserved in its original small paper box, with the lid’s underside annotated in ink, “Cheveux de Frédéric Chopin, Varsovie - 1965,” an inscription believed to have been added by recipient Madeleine Demory (Hsu Forte). Includes an ANS in French from noted Chopin scholar Krystyna Kobylanska, presenting the relic to French-born American pianist and distinguished Chopin interpreter Madeleine Demory (Hsu Forte). The handwritten note, translated, reads, in part: "On this day, February 23, 1963, I present a lock of Chopin's hair that belonged to his family. This hair was collected prior to the embalming, and in recognition of my work, it was given to me by a close friend of the Chopin family. May this precious relic forever be an inspiration.” In fine condition, with wear to the box.
Accompanying correspondence from Madeleine Demory (Hsu Forte) further records that Krystyna Kobylanska personally received the larger family lock from Ludwika Jędrzejewicz, a descendant of Louise Chopin, the composer's sister, before retaining the larger portion at the Frederic Chopin Museum in Warsaw and preserving a smaller portion in her office. Following Forte's performance of a Chopin recital at Warsaw's Ostrogski Palace, Kobylanska personally presented her with the lock together with the accompanying handwritten note. Forte later recalled wearing the lock on her chest as a good-luck talisman during her Chopin performances, preserving the cherished relic with exceptional care for decades.
Krystyna Kobylanska (1925–2009) devoted her career to the study of Frédéric Chopin, serving as curator of the Frederic Chopin Museum in Warsaw and authoring the composer's authoritative thematic catalogue, Frédéric Chopin: Thematisch-bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis (1979), which remains one of the standard scholarly references on his life and works.
