Ring 1800 - 1900

Curator: This object is a ring dating from sometime between 1800 and 1900. It’s currently held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the artist is unknown. What strikes you about it at first glance? Editor: It has an air of faded grandeur, doesn't it? Almost ghostly. The silver is tarnished, lending a melancholic beauty. It makes me think of secret portraits worn close to the skin. Curator: Indeed. Crafted from silver, this piece falls into the decorative-arts category. At its heart, there is a miniature portrait, or silhouette, which becomes the ring's focal point. I'm particularly interested in how an ordinary object, like this ring, became the keeper of an image, turning functional jewelry into a personal reliquary. Editor: I'm drawn to that aspect as well - this intimate exchange of personal identity through wearable art. What materials do you suppose are behind the making? Curator: Well, silver of course, the dominant medium shaping its physicality. The bezel shows intricate design work. However, let’s think more expansively: there's the labor that formed the metal, that carved out that small sliver of personhood. Each indent is a reminder of craftsmanship—and potentially its role in creating value and communicating social status. Editor: Absolutely. One also sees in the metal choices available at the time. Where was this metal sourced and what global or even interpersonal relationships exist surrounding it? As opposed to say a modern machine ring. The subtle touch suggests more meaning and depth of investment to me. Do you think it was perhaps created for mourning or maybe simply a sign of remembrance for the loved one portrayed in its center? Curator: Ah, mourning jewelry! That's a lovely thought. Although mourning rings from that era often incorporated darker stones and symbols, this ring, with its brighter miniature portrait, does not outwardly scream that meaning, perhaps because silver does resist the darker tones. It feels, as you suggest, to have something less permanent; a daily commemoration more than the heavy finality of mourning. It has been said "Silver in its soft elegance allows for constant change"... how very lovely! Editor: I suppose that shift speaks too of society becoming somewhat democratized. More access, more materials, perhaps easier to come by… Curator: A poignant and beautifully wrought symbol of devotion on a single finger. Editor: Yes, an unassuming artefact revealing a vast, and beautiful narrative.