REVIEW: JEWELLERY, WATCHES & OBJECTS OF VERTU: 17 JUNE

The 16th century ‘Grasshopper’ ring, presented by the great Tudor financier and merchant, Sir Thomas Gresham, financial agent to four Tudor monarchs, sold for £42,000, more than four times expectations, in Noonans' Mayfair sale on 17 June.

The heavy seal ring, dating from circa 1560-1575, was carved with the coat of arms of Warner, the underside of the bezel engraved with a green enamelled grasshopper, the Gresham family crest. It is believed to have been gifted from Thomas Gresham to Mark Warner, of All Hallows, Lombard Street in the City of London, a cloth merchant and liveryman of the Drapers’ Company.

A family heirloom from the 19th century, the ring had passed by descent until circa 2010. Its discovery brings the known number of rings in the ‘Grasshopper’ series from nine to ten. One example is in the British Museum, a second in the V&A museum, a third in St. Fagan's National Museum of History, Cardiff, with further examples in private collections. The Warner ring was the first to be offered at auction for almost 50 years.

The slight variation in the design of the rings, particularly the form and orientation of the grasshopper, indicates that they were probably made by several different goldsmiths, over a period of approximately 10-15 years. Two of the rings are dated to the bezel alongside the coat of arms (the Woodhouse ring to 1557 and the Taylor ring to 1575).

Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-1579) was one of the great figures of Tudor England, a merchant, financier and advisor to four Tudor monarchs: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary 1 and Elizabeth I.

Following the sale Frances Noble, Associate Director and Head of Jewellery at Noonans, commented: “We were delighted with the result of today’s sale which saw this historically significant ring sell for a hammer price of £42,000 against its pre-sale estimate of £10,000-15,000. It attracted international interest but ultimately sold to a UK buyer with underbidders including both trade, and private collectors.

“Although these grasshopper rings could have been given by Sir Thomas Gresham in thanks for past services, it seems more probable that those chosen to receive these expensive gifts were individuals whose future potential could be of benefit to Sir Thomas, the hidden grasshopper crest to the interior of each ring serving as a pertinent reminder as to where the recipient’s future loyalties should lie.”