Description
This ring with a miniature portrait is crafted in rosé gold, the entourage doubled with silver is set with diamonds. The miniature portrait – a gouache on a flat ivory plate – is protected by a rock crystal cover and shows a nobleman with a powdered white wig, blue sash and a deep gaze. He is depicted with full, piled-up hair, side-parted waves, a braid with a dark bow, and a penetrating gaze and pointed smile. He is fashionably dressed in a white ruffled jabot, the shirt ruffle peeking out from the pink men’s skirt with its pastel shade which is entirely in keeping with the fashion of the late rococo period. With the “Cordon Bleu”, the blue sash ribbon passed over the left shoulder to the right hip and the breast star, he proves to be a knight of the Order of the Garter.
The engraved roses on the back and the forget-me-nots on the band suggest that the ring was a love token. Probably it was the ring of a noble lady who was accompanied by her beloved one on one finger in every moment. Small jewels as a symbol of love, memory and adoration constitute a very particular chapter of miniature art, which were extremely popular among noble women in the 2nd half of the 18th century.
