Mourning Ring Honoring John Bragge Maker: Unknown
Honorand: John Bragge, American, 1697–1755

1755

American Decorative Arts

Not on view

At the center of this ring, a tiny skeleton is entombed beneath a faceted glass stone. An inscription on the ornate band records John Bragge’s death at the age of fifty-eight on February 8, 1755. Black enamel contributes to the object’s somber appearance and was a popular, if fragile, embellishment for memorial rings. In 1735 a Boston newspaper reported the theft of "two Funeral Rings, one very weighty, with some Remains of Black Enamel on it." The stolen ring’s battered condition did not lessen its value to its owner—or the thief.

Medium

Gold with glass, enamel, and paper

Dimensions

7/8 × 15/16 × 3/16 in. (2.2 × 2.4 × 0.5 cm)
width of band: 3/16 in. (0.5 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. John Hill Morgan

Accession Number

1940.552

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
Leila A. Morgan, to 1940; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
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. 310, no. 525
  • Peter J. Bohan, "Early American Gold," Antiques 88 (December 1965), 817, fig. 16
  • Peter J. Bohan, American Gold, 1700–1860, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1963), 21, 45, no. 116, fig. 116
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

mourning rings

Marks

Unmarked

Inscriptions

"JOHN BRAGGE_OB: 8_FEB:_1755·AE:58" divided among the scrolls along the outer edge of the ring.

Technical metadata and APIs

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Open in Mirador

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