Odds and Ends

A few small odds and ends now.

Firstly, there was this little reference to Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, as having red hair. He's known as Hugh the Red, so this isn't anything new. This passage specifically mentions red hair though.

The Welch called him Hugh Goch, because he had red Hair.

Nottinghamshire. Somersetshire - Thomas Cox (1738)

The name Goch/Coch means red in Welsh.

Finally, there's this passage about red hair from: THE WORKS OF LAURENCE STERNE (1775)

It's not especially interesting, though it does serve as another example of redhead dislike/distrust from an earlier period of history.

A friend of mine once had conceived a particular aversion to persons who had been born with red hair. He carried this strange prejudice to an extravagant length. He used to say, that he could never confide in a friend or a mistress of this complexion - for that the men were false, and women frisky.

An instance or two of this kind had determined his philosophy, with as much reason as the jockey, in an old story, had for the reverse - who having once met with a good horse, who happened to be cropt-eared, pronounced that cropt-eared horses were naturally good. - A barber too recommended white-hafted razors from the same experience.

Red hair is only a sign - if it be any sign at all - of warm or lively affections; and operates according to the ruling passion, of love, religion, ambition, play, revenge, Etc. - which differs equally both in men and women of all complexions. And I have always found more virtue in warm affections, than in lukewarm ones. - Warm passions may be tempered, but cold ones can never be brought to seeth.

Red Hair: Saint Dominic and Bernard of Clairvaux

Some red-haired saints now.

I found the following in this work: Lives of Saints with Other Feasts of the Year According to the Roman Calendar. Published in 1669, an English translation. The original by Pedro de Ribadeneira, the Spanish Jesuit and hagiographer we referenced just a few days ago, in our post about the Virgin Mary.

Firstly, we have a description of Saint Dominic (as usual, I've left the alternate spellings as is):

Saint Dominik was of a midle stature, and a most comly person, his face long, his nose bowing like a hawkes bill, his hair somewhat red, the color of his face white, his head more gray then his beard, his hair very thick, so that there was no appearance that he would become bald

I found this description echoed on Wikipedia, where it states that a Dominican nun called Cecilia Cesarini (1203-1290) described him as having "reddish hair and beard and beautiful eyes ..His hands were long and fine and his voice pleasingly resonant. He never got bald, though he wore the full tonsure, which was mingled with a few grey hairs." I'm guessing this will be the origin of the above description.

Secondly, we have a description of Bernard of Clairvaux:

in his eyes was resplendent an Angelical purity, and the simplicity of a dove. His body was so wasted and worn away, that he seemed to be nothing but skin and bones; his face was ruddie, his hair and beard red, and in his old age white, of a middle stature, rather tall then low.

Red-Hair'd Galanthis

Whilst searching out other things today I came across this passage.

From the following publication: A General Dictionary, Historical and Critical (1734)

It's a translation from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Galanthis was a servant of Alcmene, who assisted her during the birth of Heracles. She was turned into a weasel (or cat) as punishment for defying the gods. Here she's described as "Red-hair'd". Likewise, on the Wikipedia page it's stated her hair was "red-gold".

I've looked up the original text.

una ministrarum, media de plebe, Galanthis,

flava comas, aderat, faciendis strenua iussis,

'Flava comas' means blonde hair. Flava, in Latin, meaning yellow, or golden. So I'm not quite sure where the redness comes from. Though, as ever, exact meanings and context are difficult to pin down.

There are other references to Galantis, so I'll try to look those up.

[A little time later..]

I couldn't find any further references to hair colour, sadly. So, for now, we'll leave it at that.

Red Hair in Art: Franz Marc

Franz Moritz Wilhelm Marc (1880 – 1916) was a German painter and printmaker, one of the key figures of German Expressionism. He was a founding member of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a journal whose name later became synonymous with the circle of artists collaborating in it.

His mature works mostly are animals, and are known for bright colors. He was drafted to serve in the German Army at the beginning of World War I, and died two years later at the Battle of Verdun.

His painting Die Füchse (The Foxes) was sold in 2022 for £42,654,500.

Below, some red-haired girls and cats.

Cat with Kittens

Cats, Red and White

Cat behind a Tree

Nude with a Cat

Three Cats

Two Cats

Girl with a Cat

The Matron and the Auctioneer

In my Google Book wanderings I came across another tale of red hair. This time from the pages of The French Inquisition. A 1715 work, by the French writer René Auguste Constantin de Renneville. It's a comical account of a woman mocking a red-headed auctioneer, by likening him to Judas.

I stopp'd one Day, to see a Sale of Goods of some Person that was dead. The Auctioner was upon a Table, where he sat on a Chair to be the better heard, it was a little Fellow, his Mien bad enough, and among other Perfections had very red Hair. He had the Art of playing the Merry Andrew very aukwardly. After having knock'd down several things to divers Persons, he expos'd to Sale an Ivory Crucifix on an Ebony Cross. A Matron happen'd to be present, who had a mind to buy it. That Woman, who seem'd to be one of the meanest sort of People, however look'd very Grave, she had a Forehead Cloath, a slavering Bib instead of an Handkerchief, a large Silver Girdle about her middle, at which hung a great Bunch of Keys, a Purse, Several Bottoms of Thread, and a Case; she was tuck'd up like a Frier that goes a Questing. The Auctioner put up the Crucifix at Thrity Sols, and made a  scurvy Description of its Beauties, to enchance the Price to the Spectators. The aforesaid Matron, in a very grave manner, making the Sign of the Cross and a very low Curtesy deliberately, said 40 Sols for my good Saviour. No sooner had she spoke the word, than the Crier, advanc'd to Fifty Sols. Sixty Sols, said the Woman, for that good God, with a loud Voice, but very modestly. Four Livers, said the Crier. An Hundred Sols, answer'd the Matron, for my divine JESUS CHRIST. Six Livers, said the Crier. That Woman, without showing the least concern, took the Crucifix in her right Hand, and making the Crier kiss it. So, said she, kiss it again, and then deliver it up; I said before, that he who sold JESUS CHRIST was red hair'd, like him that was dead. All the People fell a Laughing at the Woman's Notion; only the Judas fell into a Passion. but not so great as to hang himself, when he had deliver'd it up.

The Annunciation - Mikhail Nesterov (/..plus another redheaded Jesus)

Yesterday, as I was writing the Virgin Mary article, I came across this image that caught my eye.

The Annunciation

It's from the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent (Martha and Mary Convent), a woman's convent in Moscow, and is by the artist Mikhail Nesterov. It shows Mary, wearing blue, her hair covered, being told she's to be the mother of Jesus, by the angel Gabriel.

Gabriel, in the image, appears to be female and has red hair.

Then, as I was writing this article (literally just now), I came across this image.

It's an icon on the outer front of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent, showing a Jesus with dark red hair. (I'm not sure who the artist was.)

(This is what happens when you go down Wikipedia rabbit holes.)

Was the Virgin Mary a Redhead?

I recently came across a description of the Virgin Mary's appearance in a work titled, The Life, Death and Passion of Our Lord Jesus, by Pedro de Ribadeneira.

Ribadeneira was a Jesuit priest and hagiographer who lived from 1527 to 1611. The version I came across, (linked to above), is an English translation published in 1701.

It describes her as follows:

The Virgin was of a middle stature, though some say she was rather tall, her complexion was somewhat swart, her Hair Reddish and Golden, her Eyes Lively and Quick, the Hairs of the Eye-lids somewhat Red, the Eyebrows arched, Black, and comely: The Nose somewhat long, Vermillion Lips, most sweet in speaking, her Face rather long than round, her Hands and Fingers long, her Countenance Grave and Modest, without enticements of affectation, but simple and humble.

Obviously, 16th/17th century is hardly contemporary, and that's assuming the English translation is true. Though the text does also state..

"The Evangelist St. Luke made some Pictures of her whilst she was living, whereof there is one at this day at Rome, in the Church of Saint Mary Major, in which we may see her Feature and Fashion, and how much she resembled her Son"

I'm guessing this would be the following painting, kept in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. In the image the hair is covered, though the hair of the precocious-looking Jesus does appear brown in shade. The image is said to have been "heavily overpainted" however, and according to Wikipedia, modern experts date the painting anywhere from 5th century to 13th century. So far from a living record - at least within the confines of conventional history

Salus Populi Romani

Nevertheless, it's quite an interesting description, and reminds me of the claim that, in earlier times, French witches would blaspheme the name of the Virgin Mary, by referring to her as "la Rousse" - the redhead.

Helen of Troy - Red-Haired Fresco

Red Hair News: A fresco has recently been excavated in Pompeii, showing a Helen of Troy with decidedly reddish hair.

I found out about it via a post on Facebook by Ian Cook, the author of Redhead and The Future Is Red, so there's another little red hair link. Apparently the hair of Helen of Troy was described as "Xanthe" by the ancient poetess Sappho.

https://www.royaltynowstudios.com/blog/helenoftroy

Xanthê is generally translated as meaning blonde-haired, though it also comes with overlapping connotations of red and brown. The exact meaning of these terms often difficult to pin down. We've discussed this issue on here before: What's in a colour: xanthòs

The hair in the fresco image definitely looks reddish. At least from the images we've seen shared in the media. The Helen portrayed isn't quite as red-haired (nor as moody) as our favourite red-haired Helen of Troy though..

(Helen of Troy - Frederick Sandys)

Three Shades of Jesus

A quick post today showing another red-haired image of Jesus. This one by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640). The hair isn't quite the striking orange-red we've seen in other paintings, more a mousey soft red or light brown.

(The Descent from the Cross)

(The Descent from the Cross - detail)

There are also other versions of the painting. In this following one the complexion is much more ginger, though the hair is less present, and the image itself much darker.

There's likewise this version, which is part of triptych in the Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, Belgium. The most famous version of the painting. In this one the hair is much less red, and would be better described as brown.