Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Silver, Room 67, The Whiteley Galleries

Napkin Ring

1873-1874 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Napkin rings are a peculiarly Victorian invention to hold the linen napkin tidily in place on the table. Introduced in the mid-nineteenth century, napkin rings were often personalised with numbers or initials for each member of the family. Boxed sets of napkin rings were popular wedding and christening gifts. Elkington and Co sold simple engraved napkin rings for 6s each in 1881.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver, engraved
Brief description
Silver, London hallmarks for 1811-12, mark of John, Edward & William Barnard
Physical description
Napkin ring, silver in the shape of a short cylinder, reeded, moulded edges, the body decorated with engraved floral decoration. Fitted case.
Dimensions
  • Height: 3.1cm
  • Width: 4.1cm
Marks and inscriptions
On outside: J, E, J, W and B for John, Edward, James and Walter Barnard, sterling, leopard, Gothic S for 1873-4, duty
Credit line
Bequeathed by Miss D.B. Simpson
Subject depicted
Summary
Napkin rings are a peculiarly Victorian invention to hold the linen napkin tidily in place on the table. Introduced in the mid-nineteenth century, napkin rings were often personalised with numbers or initials for each member of the family. Boxed sets of napkin rings were popular wedding and christening gifts. Elkington and Co sold simple engraved napkin rings for 6s each in 1881.
Collection
Accession number
M.193-1977

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 Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis.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 createdMarch 3, 2004
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest