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

Ring

late 18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The bezel of this ring is decorated with a simple funerary urn, made of shaped and chopped hair with gold details. The inscription on the reverse tells us that it commemorates Frances Blake, who died at the age of 14 on 5 July 1780. This may be the same girl who was born on 15 April 1766 to Patrick and Anna Bella Blake at Longham, Dorset. Her burial was recorded on 12 July 1780 at Langham, Suffolk. The Blakes lost another daughter the following month - Harriet was buried on 17 August 1780 alongside her sister.

From the early seventeenth to the end of the nineteenth century, testators left money in their wills to have rings with commemorative inscriptions made and distributed to their friends and families. Simple bands enamelled with the name and life dates of the deceased were frequently made, sometimes set with a gemstone or a bezel set with a rock crystal covering a symbol such as a coffin or initials in gold wire. In the later 18th century, rings followed neo-classical designs, their oval bezels often decorated with the same designs as funerary monuments such as urns, broken pillars and mourning figures. Hair from the deceased was incorporated into the designs or set in a compartment at the back of the ring to give each jewel a uniquely personal element. Black or white enamel were favoured though white enamel was often, though not universally used to commemorate children and unmarried adults. By the end of the 19th century, memorial ring designs were becoming more standardised. The hoops were often inscribed with phrases such as 'In memory' whilst a commemorative inscription could be added to the inside of the hoop. The custom of giving rings as memorials gradually declined in the early 20th century, although the Goldsmiths Journal suggests that some were still being sold in the 1930s.



Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Engraved gold with worked hair on an ivory or bone panel set under glass or crystal
Brief description
Gold mourning ring with an oval bezel with an urn worked in hair. Inscribed behind Frances Blake Ob.5 July 1780. Aet 14., England, late 18th century
Physical description
Gold mourning ring with an oval bezel with an urn worked in hair with gold details, on an ivory or bone panel. Inscribed behind the bezel in italic lettering <>Frances Blake Ob.5 July 1780. Aet 14.. The plain gold hoop widens at the shoulders to meet the bezel
Dimensions
  • Height: 2.3cm
  • Width: 1.9cm
  • Depth: 2.2cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Inscribed Frances Blake Ob.5 July 1780. Aet 14. (behind;)
    Translation
    Frances Blake died 5 July 1780 aged 14
  • Unmarked
Object history
Part of a group of memorial and mourning jewels bought from Dr Marco Guastalla, acting on behalf of 'an English lady residing in Italy' (museum numbers 846-1888 to 989-1888)
Subjects depicted
Summary
The bezel of this ring is decorated with a simple funerary urn, made of shaped and chopped hair with gold details. The inscription on the reverse tells us that it commemorates Frances Blake, who died at the age of 14 on 5 July 1780. This may be the same girl who was born on 15 April 1766 to Patrick and Anna Bella Blake at Longham, Dorset. Her burial was recorded on 12 July 1780 at Langham, Suffolk. The Blakes lost another daughter the following month - Harriet was buried on 17 August 1780 alongside her sister.

From the early seventeenth to the end of the nineteenth century, testators left money in their wills to have rings with commemorative inscriptions made and distributed to their friends and families. Simple bands enamelled with the name and life dates of the deceased were frequently made, sometimes set with a gemstone or a bezel set with a rock crystal covering a symbol such as a coffin or initials in gold wire. In the later 18th century, rings followed neo-classical designs, their oval bezels often decorated with the same designs as funerary monuments such as urns, broken pillars and mourning figures. Hair from the deceased was incorporated into the designs or set in a compartment at the back of the ring to give each jewel a uniquely personal element. Black or white enamel were favoured though white enamel was often, though not universally used to commemorate children and unmarried adults. By the end of the 19th century, memorial ring designs were becoming more standardised. The hoops were often inscribed with phrases such as 'In memory' whilst a commemorative inscription could be added to the inside of the hoop. The custom of giving rings as memorials gradually declined in the early 20th century, although the Goldsmiths Journal suggests that some were still being sold in the 1930s.

Bibliographic reference
Oman, Charles, Catalogue of rings in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1930, reprinted Ipswich, 1993, cat. 838
Collection
Accession number
850-1888

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Record createdApril 25, 2006
Record URL
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