Ring
1860-1870 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The 1851 Great Exhibition inspired a series of ‘London International Exhibitions’ which took place in South Kensington in 1871, 1872, 1873 and 1874. Fine arts and scientific inventions and discoveries remained central display themes but each exhibition presented different aspects of manufacture. In 1872 one emphasis was on jewellery, including ‘peasant jewellery’. The Exhibition Commissioners arranged with the South Kensington Museum (later V&A) to make a collection of peasant jewellery from ‘all parts of the world, which should become public property, for exhibition in the Museum after the close of the Exhibition’. A letter was sent by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to British representatives overseas asking for their help in securing pieces of jewellery, particularly examples with ‘a direct connection with the native instinctive art, which has been handed down by a long tradition’. The outcome was considered to be ‘most satisfactory … a collection of characteristic ornaments never before equalled was obtained’.
This ring is part of this collection. It was made in Egypt and is formed of a brass ring set with dark-coloured glass.
This ring is part of this collection. It was made in Egypt and is formed of a brass ring set with dark-coloured glass.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Cast brass set with a piece of dark glass |
| Brief description | Brass ring set with a dark-coloured glass bezel, Egypt, 1860-1870. |
| Physical description | Cast brass ring with plain carinated shank which widens at the shoulders, as if split, with a strut on the surface of each side supporting the bezel. The bezel consists of a flat oval sheet of dark glass in a low cylindrical mount. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Acquired by the Exhibition Commissioners of the London International Exhibition of 1872 as an example of 'peasant jewellery' and then transferred to the South Kensington Museum. |
| Summary | The 1851 Great Exhibition inspired a series of ‘London International Exhibitions’ which took place in South Kensington in 1871, 1872, 1873 and 1874. Fine arts and scientific inventions and discoveries remained central display themes but each exhibition presented different aspects of manufacture. In 1872 one emphasis was on jewellery, including ‘peasant jewellery’. The Exhibition Commissioners arranged with the South Kensington Museum (later V&A) to make a collection of peasant jewellery from ‘all parts of the world, which should become public property, for exhibition in the Museum after the close of the Exhibition’. A letter was sent by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to British representatives overseas asking for their help in securing pieces of jewellery, particularly examples with ‘a direct connection with the native instinctive art, which has been handed down by a long tradition’. The outcome was considered to be ‘most satisfactory … a collection of characteristic ornaments never before equalled was obtained’. This ring is part of this collection. It was made in Egypt and is formed of a brass ring set with dark-coloured glass. |
| Bibliographic reference | List of Objects in the Art Division, South Kensington Museum, acquired during the year 1873, London: George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1520-1873 |
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| Record created | February 28, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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