


Herbarium Nr
147
Scientific Name
SALIX
Common Name
Willow
Type
Mourning ring
Place
Unknown, European
Date
Georgian. Ca. 1810
Collected by
Unmarked
Material
750/1000 gold 18 k, sepia miniature
Size
24,7 x 13,4 mm
Total Weight
5,8 grams
Condition
Good.
Price
Sold
A collectable and wearable Georgian mourning ring, filled with neo-classical symbolism. The pearly beaded rim is such a typical decoration technique, more often seen on silver objects from the period 1780-1820. The navette shape of this ring resembles the shape of a tear.
The willow tree is a traditional symbol of mourning. The image further depicts an urn on a plinth, a women in white, bringing red roses and forget me not flowers; which makes clear that this pretty ring is an example of early mourning jewellery. In the later Victorian pieces, the symbolism changes and instead of white, black will be the new black. The texture in the sepia pigment is actually hair mixed in with the paint.