1733 Death’s Head Memento Mori Ring

A wonderfully complete early 18th c death’s head mourning ring, bearing the inscription “G. J. Arm: ob: 25 Aug: 1733 æt: 54”, the outer hoop fully engraved with a memento mori skull amidst flora against a reserve of black enamel. By the early 18th century, British mourning rings of this type show remarkable design standardization; the present ring bears nearly identical decorative elements as four others in the British museum: one made in 1724 (no. AF.1550), one made in 1729 (no. AF.1552), one made in 1728 (no. AF.1549), and another made just one year prior in 1732 (no. AF.1547). This group all feature single death’s head skulls flanked by acanthus scrolls (a common funerary symbol for heaven, pain, and healing), thistle flowers (Christ’s passion), and Hawthorn blossoms (the crown of thorns). The interior inscription can be distinguished from 17th century examples in the inclusion of fuller memorial details; most pre-1700 rings only have initials to identify the deceased. Departing from an earlier adherence to death’s symbols (e.g. hourglass, coffins, and shovels), enameled mourning bands of the early 18th century share design overlaps with engraved posy rings from the same era, in the profusion of floral motifs. Indeed, the surviving diary of a young woman named Elizabeth Freke records the passing of her husband in June, 1706; to commemorate his death, she noted the commission of “twenty gold rings for the bearers and ministers and gentry for that dismal day”, including “ten flowered rings for my friends in London.” While pre-1660 mourning rings are rare and quite idiosyncratic, the prevalence and standardization of such rings after the English Restoration parallel their increasing social importance. By the early 18th century, it was customary in Britain to distribute mourning rings to a wide circle of acquaintances, sometimes without consideration for the claims of the recipients. The commission and gifting of mourning rings rapidly became both a status symbol and a means of pegging a claim to gentility, rendering funerary occasions—in the words of V&A curator Charles Oman—“a send off to bolster the social standing of the living”. This practice would explain the surprising numbers of nearly-identical plain gold bands with hastily incised “pumpkin head” skulls that still survive from the era, though well-executed rings with full decoration in enamel are considerably more rare and were likely reserved for persons of higher socioeconomic standing.
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