Mourning Ring for William Haynes Artist: Unknown
Honorand: William Haynes, American, 1758–1785

1785

American Paintings and Sculpture

Not on view

This mourning ring contains an ivory oval decorated with a small classical urn. The boughs of a weeping willow curve sympathetically over the funerary monument. The artist who created this miniature watercolor painting added tiny pieces of chopped hair to the ground and the tree, creating texture and powerful sentiment. The hair likely belonged to the deceased, William Haynes, and its presence transforms a generalized object of mourning into one imbued with personal significance. The exterior of the ring band features a ground of black enamel with a raised gold inscription that reads “Willm Haynes. OB: 19 Mar. 1785. AET:27.”

Medium

Watercolor on ivory

Dimensions

1/2 × 3/8 in. (1.3 × 1 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. John Hill Morgan

Accession Number

1940.551

Geography

Made in United States

Culture

American

Period

18th century

Classification

Jewelry

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Mrs. John Hill Morgan; gift 1940 to YUAG.
Bibliography
  • Kathryn C. Buhler and Graham Hood, American Silver in the Yale University Art Gallery, 2 vols. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1970), vol. 1, p. 311, no. 531.
  • Peter J. Bohan, American Gold, 1700–1860, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1963), 45, no. 117.
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

finger rings, miniatures (paintings), mourning rings

Subject

memorials

Marks

Unmarked

Inscriptions

Inscribed in gold letters within continuous band of black enamel on outside of ring: WILLM [M is raised and underlined] HAYNES [bullet] OB : 19 [bullet] MAR : 1785 [bullet] AET : 27", all in Roman capitals.

Technical metadata and APIs

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