A 19th Century Victorian hallmarked 18ct gold and enamel mou...

Hammer

£420

A 19th Century Victorian hallmarked 18ct gold and enamel mourning ring. The ring having engraved floral borders with alternating black and white initial panels and two woven hair panels. Hallmarked London 1885. Engraved W H April 25th 1885, engraved below EBH 9th Aug 1909. Weight 5.8g. Size N.5.

'WH' for - Mr. William Hopper, a Scotsman, who founded the Shipock Iron Works in Moscow in 1847. He was educated at home in Russia and at Dr. Bryce's Collegiate School in Edinburgh

Provenance - Private Family Collection - The property belonging to  Frederick and Lucy Cazalet who fled the Russian Revolution in 1917 with a single trunk of items. This item was one of the few items in that trunk that they took with them. 

Frederick and Lucy Cazalet were the descendants of the Hopper family who founded the Shipock Ironworks in Moscow and the Muir / Mirrielees families that created the great department store in their name. Both the Hopper family and the Muir / Mirrielees were of Scottish origin and were prominent families in Russian business circles.

Frederick Cazalet (1871-1945) married Lucy Hopper (1870-1956) in the Anglican Church in Moscow in 1901. Both were born in Moscow. Lucy was an authority on Russian pewter and porcelain.

Fredrick and Lucy Cazalet managed the great Muir and Mirrielees department store in Moscow until they fled the Russian Revolution in 1917. The department store was nationalised after the Revolution and became TsUM.