Ring
late 18th century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This ring is decorated with a conventional mourning scene of a woman wearing draperies, leaning on the pedestal of a funerary urn. The urn is marked with the initials TD and inscription on the reverse of the bezel records the death of Thomas Darvill on 16 April, 1790 at the age of 25.
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 or bone under a glass or rock crystal cover |
Brief description | Gold mourning ring with a Marquise bezel with a miniature of a woman standing by an urn inscribed T. D. and inscribed behind Thos. Darvill Ob 16 Apl 1788 Aet 25., England, late 18th century |
Physical description | Gold mourning ring with a pointed oval bezel with a miniature painted on ivory or bone. It shows a woman standing by a large funerary urn inscribed T. D., the woman is overshadowed by a weeping willow. The bezel is inscribed Thos. Darvill Ob 16 Apl 1788 Aet 25. on the back. |
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 is decorated with a conventional mourning scene of a woman wearing draperies, leaning on the pedestal of a funerary urn. The urn is marked with the initials TD and inscription on the reverse of the bezel records the death of Thomas Darvill on 16 April, 1790 at the age of 25. 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. 860 |
Collection | |
Accession number | 860-1888 |
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Record created | April 25, 2006 |
Record URL |
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