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Ring with Figure of Hope
Sentimental miniature scenes in the neoclassical style, often painted in sepia and framed by a single border of diamonds, are characteristic motifs of late 18th-and early 19th-century rings. Here, a mourning woman is shown leaning in a thoughtful pose on a large anchor, a symbol of hope. The early Christians adopted the pagan symbol of the anchor, signifying safety, and transformed it into a symbol for hope in salvation. This mourning ring was likely won to express the hope that the deceased had been admitted to heaven.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Mrs. Charles E. Rieman [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1958, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 2010 | Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry. El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso. |
| 2006-2009 | Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1984-1987 | Objects of Adornment: Five Thousand Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. |
| 1987 | Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery and the Zucker Family Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1979-1980 | Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
USA (Place of Origin)
Measurements
bezel: 15/16 in. (2.4 cm) (w.)
1 in. (2.6 cm) (diam.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Charles E. Rieman, 1958
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
57.1875