Ring
late 18th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ring commemorates Harriott Willocks, who died aged only 15, on 18 December, 1788. The main design is painted but the tree and foliage at the bottom of the scene are made of chopped hair, probably Harriot's own. The bezel is finely painted with a scene showing a woman mourning by a funerary urn whose pedestal is inscribed 'Not lost but gone before'. An angel hovering over the figure bears a banner reading 'To Bliss'. These inscriptions show that the mourners for Harriott wanted to take comfort from the idea that they would be reunited in heaven. It was particularly important for the parents of deceased children to feel that, although their child was lost to them, they would not suffer earthly pains but live in bliss and that they would be reunited in heaven.
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.
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 a miniature on ivory and chopped hair |
| Brief description | Gold mourning ring with an octagonal bezel set with a sepia miniature on ivory of a veiled woman seated by an urn, the pedestal inscribed NOT LOST/ BUT ../ GONE.- BEFORE. A cherub holds a scroll inscribed TO BLISS. Inscribed behind Harriott/ Willock/ Ob 18 Decr./ 1788/ Aet.15., England, late 18th century |
| Physical description | Gold mourning ring with an octagonal bezel set with a sepia miniature on ivory of a veiled woman seated by an urn, the pedestal inscribed NOT LOST/ BUT ../ GONE.- BEFORE. A cherub holds a scroll inscribed TO BLISS.The foliage at the side and base of the bezel is formed of chopped hair. Inscribed behind Harriott/ Willock/ Ob 18 Decr./ 1788/ Aet.15. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| 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 | This ring commemorates Harriott Willocks, who died aged only 15, on 18 December, 1788. The main design is painted but the tree and foliage at the bottom of the scene are made of chopped hair, probably Harriot's own. The bezel is finely painted with a scene showing a woman mourning by a funerary urn whose pedestal is inscribed 'Not lost but gone before'. An angel hovering over the figure bears a banner reading 'To Bliss'. These inscriptions show that the mourners for Harriott wanted to take comfort from the idea that they would be reunited in heaven. It was particularly important for the parents of deceased children to feel that, although their child was lost to them, they would not suffer earthly pains but live in bliss and that they would be reunited in heaven. 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. 865 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 902-1888 |
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| Record created | April 28, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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