Grey locks

The death mask and a cast of his right hand were not the only items made after Bilderdijk’s death. The poet’s body was also subjected to another ritual: his head was trimmed bald. Enthusiasts could thus obtain a lock of hair. It was a precious relic for the true Bilderdijk admirer, but not an unusual memento for the nineteenth century. At that time, it was customary to keep locks of hair from deceased relatives and even to make artistic works out of them. In the case of Bilderdijk, however, there was a particularly high demand for locks of hair.

Literary scholar Jan Wap wrote a verse on December 23, 1831, the day of the funeral: ‘On a lock of Mr. Willem Bilderdijk’s corpse’ (‘By eene hairvlok van Mr. Willem Bilderdijks lijk’). In this poem, he explained why such a relic was important to him. It was a tangible reminder of the great poet, and it made him realize that all earthly things are impermanent:

What will this puny, but most precious surplus, Do to the memory of the greatest Poets? Nay, may it only ever awaken in the soul the ideal, That dust belongs to the earth, and the infinite to God.