Not currently on display at the V&A

Ring

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

This ring was made as a memorial to a young girl. The inscription painted on the funerary obelisk reads ‘To joy and happiness I rise’ – an attempt by the family of 15 year old Eliza Clark to comfort themselves for her loss with the hope that she was going to a better destination and would be free of the pains and sorrows of earthly life. The soul of Eliza can be seen rising from the side of the obelisk, to be drawn up into heaven by an angel.

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.



Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Engraved gold with a miniature painted on ivory or bone and set under a glass cover
Brief description
Gold mourning ring with a marquise bezel with a miniature of a girl seated by an obelisk inscribed TO JOY & HAPPINESS I RISE ELIZA CLARK OB:9 OCT 1792 AE 15 YRS. Her spirit, rising from the monument; is about to be crowned by an angel, England, late 18th century
Physical description
Gold mourning ring with a marquise bezel with a miniature of a girl seated by an obelisk inscribed TO JOY & HAPPINESS I RISE ELIZA CLARK OB:9 OCT 1792 AE 15 YRS. Her spirit, rising from the monument; is about to be crowned by an angel
Dimensions
  • Height: 2.5cm
  • Width: 2.2cm
  • Depth: 3.4cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • inscribed TO JOY & HAPPINESS I RISE ELIZA CLARK OB:9 OCT 1792 AE 15 YRS
  • marked 'IP' (Maker's mark)
  • 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
This ring was made as a memorial to a young girl. The inscription painted on the funerary obelisk reads ‘To joy and happiness I rise’ – an attempt by the family of 15 year old Eliza Clark to comfort themselves for her loss with the hope that she was going to a better destination and would be free of the pains and sorrows of earthly life. The soul of Eliza can be seen rising from the side of the obelisk, to be drawn up into heaven by an angel.

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.

Bibliographic reference
Oman, Charles, Catalogue of rings in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1930, reprinted Ipswich, 1993, cat. 881
Collection
Accession number
918-1888

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Record createdApril 24, 2006
Record URL
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