Ring thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Ring

mid 19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This French ring is formed of the bodies of two snakes, one of gold and one of platinum. Snakes were a popular device in jewellery, partly because their sinuous shape could be wrapped around the neck, arm or finger. The jeweller has exploited the contrast in colour between the gold and the silvery platinum. Platinum was not widely used in jewellery until the late nineteenth century as it needs to be heated to a very high temperature to work it.

Snakes have been used in jewellery since the ancient Egyptians. They were associated with healing deities such as Isis in Egypt or the Greek God of medicine, Asclepius. They symbolised regeneration, healing and rebirth and therefore were used as a symbol of eternity. According to Christian beliefs, the snake tempted Adam and Eve into sin and led to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the snake was also one of the incarnations of the devil. Although the association with healing remained, in particular with the symbol of the staff and snake used by physicians, snakes were not commonly used in medieval jewellery. The renewed interest in the classical world which characterised the Renaissance did lead to a gradual return of snakes to fashion. This association with regeneration and eternity led to their use on both love and mourning jewellery in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Queen Victoria's engagement ring was a snake with emerald eyes.

Snake rings were worn by men and women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The British kind George IV (1762-1830) was painted wearing a snake ring in a portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence in the Wallace Collection.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Gold and platinum
Brief description
Gold and platinum ring in the form of two snakes, with a French mark, France, mid 19th century
Physical description
Gold and platinum ring in the form of two snakes, one of each metal, with a French mark. Each snake is formed of a plain hoop which terminates in a loop from which emerges the snake's head. The heads of the snakes are engraved with scales and each snake bites its own tail, to close the hoop of the ring. The platinum snake loops around the tail of the gold snake and there is a small pin at the back of the hoop to hold the rings together.
Dimensions
  • Height: 2.1cm
  • Width: 2.1cm
  • Depth: 0.4cm
Marks and inscriptions
mark (French maker's mark)
Subjects depicted
Summary
This French ring is formed of the bodies of two snakes, one of gold and one of platinum. Snakes were a popular device in jewellery, partly because their sinuous shape could be wrapped around the neck, arm or finger. The jeweller has exploited the contrast in colour between the gold and the silvery platinum. Platinum was not widely used in jewellery until the late nineteenth century as it needs to be heated to a very high temperature to work it.

Snakes have been used in jewellery since the ancient Egyptians. They were associated with healing deities such as Isis in Egypt or the Greek God of medicine, Asclepius. They symbolised regeneration, healing and rebirth and therefore were used as a symbol of eternity. According to Christian beliefs, the snake tempted Adam and Eve into sin and led to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the snake was also one of the incarnations of the devil. Although the association with healing remained, in particular with the symbol of the staff and snake used by physicians, snakes were not commonly used in medieval jewellery. The renewed interest in the classical world which characterised the Renaissance did lead to a gradual return of snakes to fashion. This association with regeneration and eternity led to their use on both love and mourning jewellery in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Queen Victoria's engagement ring was a snake with emerald eyes.

Snake rings were worn by men and women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The British kind George IV (1762-1830) was painted wearing a snake ring in a portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence in the Wallace Collection.
Collection
Accession number
113-1872

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdNovember 7, 2005
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest