Antique English Mourning Ring with Sepia Painting on Gold, Dated 1783

A tomb with a large urn stands under the spreading branches of a weeping willow. In ghostly brown, as in an old photograph, a woman stands next to the monument hiding her face with a cloth. A grass bench invites you to linger - and also to read the inscription on the monument: "Not Lost But Gone Before" The ring presents this scene in the finest miniature painting in sepia colour. The mandorla-shaped painting is safely stored behind curved glass and surrounded by a simple yellow gold setting. The ring band features a surrounding inscription against a black enameled background, indicating who is being commemorated here: "Eliz[abeth]. Semple / ob[iit] 17 Mar[ch]. / 1783 / aet[atis suae]. 33" - "Elizabeth Semple passed away on March 17, 1783 at the age of 33" Today, more than 240 years after her death, we can no longer say who Elizabeth Semple was - but she must have been a lovely person. This memorial stands in her honour to this day and reminds us of the unifying values of interpersonal relationships. Rings like this were widespread in England in the last decades of the 18th century. They were part of the many mourning rituals used to mark the passing of a loved one. Rather than simply an expression of personal grief for a deceased individual, these pieces of jewellery were a sign of respect for the institutions of marriage and family on which the whole of society was based.

Estimate:$2,800.11

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