Georgian lover’s eye miniature ring

A Georgian lover’s eye miniature set to a high carat gold ring, circa 1800. Eye miniatures were a curious anomaly in miniature painting  which became fashionable at the end of the 18th century. They were an extremely intense manifestation of an already emotionally charged art, apparently an attempt to capture ‘the window of the soul’, the supposed reflection of a person’s most intimate thoughts and feelings. The depiction of a single eye meant the identity of the sitter remained a mystery, a secret shared between donor and recipient. This watercolour miniature of an eye with blue iris is under crystal and in a gold ring with floral and foliate decoration. The ring is size O [US 7] and immaculate.

£2500