American Art Collaborative

Sentimental miniature scenes in the neoclassical style, often painted in sepia and framed by a single border of diamonds, are characteristic motifs of late 18th-and early 19th-century rings. Here, a mourning woman is shown leaning in a thoughtful pose on a large anchor, a symbol of hope. The early Christians adopted the pagan symbol of the anchor, signifying safety, and transformed it into a symbol for hope in salvation. This mourning ring was likely won to express the hope that the deceased had been admitted to heaven.