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Source Description
This ring commemorates two siblings who are named in the gold inscriptions on white enamel. The color of the enamel, associated with purity, indicates that they were unmarried. The ring is comprised of two halves that mirror each other and are held together by small pins and sockets. The bezel is divided by two separate triangular compartments with pearl borders, each containing a lock of one sibling's hair. During the 17th and 18th centuries, it became customary in England to commemorate loved ones with memorial rings, which were distributed at the funeral. From around 1770, they often contained miniature portraits or held locks of the deceased's hair in small compartments accompanied by inscriptions identifying the person to be remembered.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
2520
label
Memorial Ring
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
2520
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Memorial Ring
description
This ring commemorates two siblings who are named in the gold inscriptions on white enamel. The color of the enamel, associated with purity, indicates that they were unmarried. The ring is comprised of two halves that mirror each other and are held together by small pins and sockets. The bezel is divided by two separate triangular compartments with pearl borders, each containing a lock of one sibling's hair. During the 17th and 18th centuries, it became customary in England to commemorate loved ones with memorial rings, which were distributed at the funeral. From around 1770, they often contained miniature portraits or held locks of the deceased's hair in small compartments accompanied by inscriptions identifying the person to be remembered.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1804-1805
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Enamels
finger rings
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
2.2
height
2
dimensionsRaw
7/8 x 13/16 in. (2.2 x 2 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Transcription] Inscribed on the shoulders of the ring: C.M. BURNLEY. DIED. 3 MAR. 1804. AGED 19. and A.E. BURNLEY. DIED. 8 JULY 1803. AGED 20.
med
gold, enamel, pearls, hair
creator_ids
6197
collection_ids
EAN
JWL
exhibition_ids
1954
2054
2227
2513
2704
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
92f444d8b2485b13
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
7577bda87aef0c84
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no