The Napkin Ring Site

Victorian search for a new style: Indian Inspiration

Data

Place                             London, England
Time                             1888
Maker                            John Newton Mappin
Style                              Indian inspiration
Material                          Sterling silver
Silver techniques             Cast in five sections

Measures

Diameter              45 mm

Width                   35 mm

Weight                  33 grammes

Inscriptions                    None

References

Owen Jones, The Grammer of ornament, original edition 1856, reprint 1986

Marks

Collector’s comments

This napkin ring was bought on ebay in 2006. The description said: “Unmarked”. The design and work looked Indian but the pattern was different from all the Indian silver napkin rings I had seen.

Inspection under a magnifying glass brought two surprises. The first was a complete set of tiny (1.5 millimeter) UK silver marks across the outside surface deeply hidden between two sections of the repeated ornament. The marks were for London 1888 and for John Newton Mappin, partner and at that time sole owner of the important English maker Mappin & Webb. The second surprise was lines of soldering proving that in a most unusual way this napkin is made from five identical, cast parts.

The Indian appearance inspired to a check against illustrations in the section on Indian ornaments in Owen Jones’ “The Grammer of Ornament” published in 1856. With hundreds of illustrations of typical ornaments from a range of historic European and Asian cultures this book was an important inspiration to designers of the Victorian age in their search for a new decorative style fitting the conditions of the industrial age. The ornament of this napkin ring was found as figure 3 on plate 51. It is one of a large number of patterns copied from embroidered and woven fabrics first exhibited in the Indian section of the World Exhibition in London1851 and later owned by South Kensington museum (Now Victoria and Albert Museum).

What is the full story behind this unusual napkin ring ? Why is it cast in sections rather than decorated in the repousse technique typical of English Victorian silver? Is it an experiment with Indian style and technique or is it perhaps Indian made either in India or by an Indian silversmith working in England for Mappin &Webb?