Ring
ca. 1825 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The bezel of this ring is set with a carved onyx cameo of a cat. Gem engraving and hardstone carving had seen a great revival in interest in the second half of the eighteenth century, in part encouraged by the French Emperor Napoleon I. In 1804, the prestigious Prix de Rome art competition had been opened up to engravers. The winner was allowed to spend five years studying in Rome at the expense of the French government.
Enthusiastic collectors put together cabinets of gems and engraved stones. This cameo has been reset in a ring by the Reverence Chauncey Hare Townshend (1798-1868). Townshend was a poet who was befriended by Robert Southey, William and Dorothy Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge. He was a friend of Charles Dickens and shared his interest in spiritualism and mesmerism. Dickens dedicated his novel 'Great Expectations' to him and gave him the manuscript copy as well as his crystal ball.
He left his collection of gems and minerals, over 200 pieces of jewellery and a large collection of prints and oil paintings to the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum). A catalogue of the gemstones was published by A.H. Church in 1905.
Enthusiastic collectors put together cabinets of gems and engraved stones. This cameo has been reset in a ring by the Reverence Chauncey Hare Townshend (1798-1868). Townshend was a poet who was befriended by Robert Southey, William and Dorothy Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge. He was a friend of Charles Dickens and shared his interest in spiritualism and mesmerism. Dickens dedicated his novel 'Great Expectations' to him and gave him the manuscript copy as well as his crystal ball.
He left his collection of gems and minerals, over 200 pieces of jewellery and a large collection of prints and oil paintings to the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum). A catalogue of the gemstones was published by A.H. Church in 1905.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gold with a layered agate cameo |
| Brief description | Gold ring with a layered onyx cameo depicting a crouching cat in a 'Roman' setting, possibly made in England, ca.1825. |
| Physical description | Gold ring with a shaped oval bezel and a layered agate cameo depicting a crouching cat in a 'Roman' setting. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by the Rev. Chauncy Hare Townshend |
| Object history | In one of the standardised settings in the bequest made by the Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The bezel of this ring is set with a carved onyx cameo of a cat. Gem engraving and hardstone carving had seen a great revival in interest in the second half of the eighteenth century, in part encouraged by the French Emperor Napoleon I. In 1804, the prestigious Prix de Rome art competition had been opened up to engravers. The winner was allowed to spend five years studying in Rome at the expense of the French government. Enthusiastic collectors put together cabinets of gems and engraved stones. This cameo has been reset in a ring by the Reverence Chauncey Hare Townshend (1798-1868). Townshend was a poet who was befriended by Robert Southey, William and Dorothy Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge. He was a friend of Charles Dickens and shared his interest in spiritualism and mesmerism. Dickens dedicated his novel 'Great Expectations' to him and gave him the manuscript copy as well as his crystal ball. He left his collection of gems and minerals, over 200 pieces of jewellery and a large collection of prints and oil paintings to the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum). A catalogue of the gemstones was published by A.H. Church in 1905. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1811-1869 |
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| Record created | November 7, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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