Bidspirit auction | STUART GOLD MEMENTO MORI MOURNING

STUART GOLD MEMENTO MORI MOURNING RING INLAID WITH NIELLO - Ca. AD 1691.A Stuart period gold memento mori mourning ring. It is decorated with niello and depicts a full skeleton wrapped around the ring, along with indicators of burial such as a spade and a pickaxe. The interior of the ring is inscribed with the words “T. Williams - Obyt. 16 July 1691 cet 19”, communicating that the ring was made specifically to mourn a member of the commissioner’s family. The memento mori artistic movement focuses on the inevitability of death; the name memento mori is Latin for “remember (that you have) to die”.Size: D:18.75mm / US: 8 3/4 / UK: R; Weight: 5.6gProvenance: Property of a London Ancient art collector, formerly in a Mayfair private collection of Mr. P. S., formerly acquired on the UK art market since the 1970s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.