1742 Georgian Memento Mori Mourning Ring

A striking c. 1742 early Georgian mourning ring, the ring head with a memento mori death’s head motif beneath faceted quartz crystal, the shank bearing the inscription “Ann Cruttenden OB: 20 Jul: 1742 Æ: 67” inlaid against black enamel. A similar mourning ring, dated just four years later (1746) and sharing the same fleur-de-lis trifurcated shoulders, is in the Victoria & Albert Museum (M.373-1923). According to parish records, Ann was the wife of John Cruttenden of Burwash, East Sussex. The Cruttendens appear to have been an extended clan of minor landed gentry in Sussex; local parish records show frequent and generational mention of persons with this surname. Ann’s burial records show that she was laid to rest on 24 July 1742 in St Bartholomew’s Church, Burwash. Her husband, John, was recorded to have been a gentleman (the lowest rank of the English landed gentry, often the younger sons of the younger sons of peers). Other fragmentary records show that Ann gave birth to at least one child: her son, Thomas Cruttenden, was christened on 26 Jan 1706.

British mourning rings of this form evolved from Stuart crystal rings of the late 17th century, taking that essential combination of enameled shank with a crystal head and updating it with rococo flourishes; by the 1730s, rings of this type shared several commonalities: a scrolled shank resembling ribboned cartouches, mourning inscription or sentiment enamel-inlaid to the outer shank, and a ring head with ribbed rays. Early examples of this type date from the late 1720s – 1740s, but this style remained popular into the 1760s, with occasional examples made well into the 1790s. Variations permitted different shoulder designs, the inclusion or exclusion of side-stones, different bezel shapes, as well as dividing ornaments between shank cartouches. Rings with death’s symbols inlaid to shank, a coffin-shaped bezel, or a death’s head set beneath the central crystal are considered the most desirable and rare examples. The memento mori (latin, “remember that you must die”) motifs of this latter group invite viewers to contemplate on the brevity of earthly life. A group of these rococo style mourning rings are illustrated on page 156, “Georgian Jewellery 1714-1830” by Ginny Redington Dawes with Olivia Collings. Other examples are in major museums, for example: British Museum AF.1693 and AF.1679; Victoria & Albert Museum M.22-1996; Boston Museum of Fine Arts 64.861 and 54.1479.
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