A late 17th/early 18th century Italian coral and enamel ring, the carved coral (corallium...

A late 17th/early 18th century Italian coral and enamel ring, the carved coral (corallium rubrum) heart with enamelled crown surmount, enamel shoulders and plain hoop, ring size K-L approximately

Provenance: The collection of Sidney J. A. Churchill (1862-1921), by descent

Cf. 'Gioielli di Sicilia', Maria Concetta di Natale, pl. 1 for a similar ring. 

Sidney J. A. Churchill (1862 - 1921) was a British diplomat and a collector of Renaissance and Oriental manuscripts, and of jewels, bronzes, pictures and other antiques, particularly from Italy and Sicily. In 1880, at the age of 18, he joined the Persian Telegraph Department of the Indian Civil Service, in 1886 he was appointed British Consul in Tehran, and in 1889 he travelled with the Shah of Persia Naser ed-Din Shah on his third voyage to Europe. He gained an extensive knowledge of Persia and the Persian language during this time, and the archaeologist Gertrude Bell whom he met in 1892, and who was impressed with is command of the language, remembered him as “one of the most capable persons withal that I have ever come across”. Whilst with the Tehran Legation he collected 240 manuscripts for the British Museum’s collection of Arab and Persian texts (Vol. IV of their Persian Catalogue of Manuscripts is almost entirely devoted to the 'Churchill Manuscripts'), and also acquired carpets and other art objects in Persia for the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Churchill was posted as Consul in Surinam and French Guiana (1894), Palermo (1898-1909), and Naples (1909-12), and the Consul-General in Naples (1912-18) and Lisbon (1918-21). During his time in Italy his turned his collecting interests to traditional Italian and other folk jewellery, researching the history of gold and silver work in Italy and in particular in the Two Sicilies, and published books on Italian goldsmiths in both English and Italian. In 1913 he contributed an essay on Italian jewellery to a special issue of The Studio dedicated to Peasant Art in Italy, and two of the lots in today’s sale are illustrated in this essay. 
After his death in 1921, his large and heterogeneous collection of traditional Italian and Sicilian objects was temporarily exhibited at the Victoria and Albert museum, before being sold at auction in 1934 with Sotheby’s, who advertised “The extensive and interesting collection of continental & Near Eastern works of art, textiles & embroideries, Italian and Sicilian objects of vertu, knives, forks, spoons, silver and enamels and the valuable and well-known collection of peasant jewellery, the property of the late Sidney J. A. Churchill, Esq”. The collection of jewels being offered today forms part of the collection that was retained by the family. Churchill’s papers are held at the Getty Research Institute, including research and archival material related to his publications, personal letters, and papers, prints and drawings acquired or generated by Churchill for his study of Italian decorative arts.