Signet ring

This ring originally belonged to the renowned antiquary and collector Horace Walpole (1717-97) who kept a small display of rings in the museum room at Strawberry Hill, his neo-Gothic mansion. It was described and illustrated by William Cole in a manuscript catalogue of Strawberry Hill, 3 September 1762 and was said to have been found under London Bridge. It was shown in a cabinet in the 'Tribune' at Strawberry Hill and described as ' In the other glass case:…A large ancient gold ring, with a castle on it, and within, Un bon An: found in the Thames ' in 1774 and again in 1784.

This was originally a 15th century 'iconographic' ring which is engraved with figures of the Virgin Mary and St Christopher on the shoulders. The inscription 'en bon an', inside the hoop, suggests that it was made as a New Year gift. On most rings of this type, the bezel is shaped as a diptych or triptych, bearing further religious figures. However, this ring appears to have been altered, possibly by Walpole. The top part of the bezel has been removed and engraved with a castle to allow it to be used as a signet.

It forms part of a collection of 760 rings and engraved gems from the collection of Edmund Waterton (1830-81). Waterton was one of the foremost ring collectors of the nineteenth century and was the author of several articles on rings, a book on English devotion to the Virgin Mary and an unfinished catalogue of his collection (the manuscript is now the National Art Library). Waterton was noted for his extravagance and financial troubles caused him to place his collection in pawn with the London jeweller Robert Phillips. When he was unable to repay the loan, Phillips offered to sell the collection to the Museum and it was acquired in 1871. A small group of rings which Waterton had held back were acquired in 1899.