Gold and silver ring representing a skull or Memento mori, t - Lot 1

Gold and silver ring representing a skull or Memento mori, the orbits and shoulder set with rose-cut diamonds. French work from the late 17th century. Accompanied by a copy of Camille Dagincourt's will. Gross weight: 3.3g (traces of enamel, chips, accidents) A Memento mori ring According to family tradition, this ring was given to Madame de La Vallière (1644-1710). She was Louis XIV's favorite before taking her vows and retiring to the Carmelites. We enclose the will of Camille Dagincourt (1822-), in which this ring has remained in the same family and by descent ever since._x000B_Jewelry adorned with skulls was in vogue from the end of the 16th century and throughout the 17th century, which was marked by famines, armed conflicts such as the Thirty Years' War and the long war campaigns waged by Louis XIV in Europe. These rings symbolize vanity as much as they encourage us to make the most of every moment, according to the motto "Carpe Diem". Sandra Hindman and Alii, Cycles of life, Rings from the benjamin Zucker Family Collection, New York 2014, p. 180-183