Wendy Ramshaw
Ringstand with Nine Rings and Base

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Artist Wendy Ramshaw (British, 1939–2018)British, 1939–2018

CultureBritish

Titles

Ringstand with Nine Rings and Base

Date1976–1977

Medium18k gold, garnets, pink sapphires, rubies, brass, and acrylic

DimensionsOverall: 6 3/16 × 1 1/2 × 1 3/16 in. (15.7 × 3.8 × 3 cm)

Credit LineHelen Williams Drutt Collection, museum purchase funded by the Morgan Foundation in honor of Catherine Asher Morgan

Object number2002.4035.A-.L

Not on view

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Department

Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Special Collections

Helen Williams Drutt Collection of Contemporary Studio Jewelry

Object Type

JEWELRY & ADORNMENT

DescriptionSince her postgraduate days in the early 1970s, Wendy Ramshaw has been making rings, clusters of which have adorned turned pillars in a seemingly inexhaustible progression of possibilities and combinations. Rather than following a single organizing principle, her vocabulary of geometric and abstract shapes renews itself in each composition. Ramshaw's stands were at first made from either acrylic or metal but later featuring metal with inlaid resin. Functionally, the ringstands serve as storage/display units for when the rings are not worn. Yet with their highly architectural and sculptural forms, the stands achieve a role beyond their intended function. They make a sculptural statement that removes the entire composition from the realm of jewelry. On rare occasions—for exhibition purposes only—Ramshaw has made coordinating bases for her ringstands, as seen here.

ProvenanceThe artist; acquired by Helen Williams Drutt English; purchased by MFAH, 2002.
Exhibition History"Small Collection," Oxford Gallery, Oxford, England, 1977.

"British Silversmithing and Jewellery," British Embassy, Brussels, 1980.

"Jewelry International," American Craft Museum II, New York, May 25–September 1, 1984; Nan Duskin, Philadelphia, 1984.

"Modern Jewelry, 1964-1986: The Helen Williams Drutt Collection," The Château Dufresne, Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, November 15, 1984–February 3, 1985; Honolulu Academy of Arts, January 22–March 9, 1986; Cleveland Institute of Art, September 5–30, 1986; Philadelphia Museum of Art, November 2, 1986–February 1, 1987.

"Wendy Ramshaw David Watkins: Schmuck Jewellery," Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, Germany, March 21–May 17, 1987; Deutsches Golschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany, May 24–July 5, 1987.

"Contemporary Jewelry: 1964-1993, Selected Works, Helen Williams Drutt Collection," Arkansas Art Center Decorative Arts Museum, Little Rock, October 8–November 21, 1993.

"Schmuck Unserer Zeit, 1964-1993, Sammlung Helen Williams Drutt, USA," Museum Bellerive, Zürich, February 10–May 1, 1994.

"A Moveable Feast: Helen Williams Drutt Collection 1964-1994," Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, November 18, 1994–January 8, 1995; Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Ostend, Belgium; June 17–September 24, 1995.

"Beyond Ornament: Contemporary Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, August 16, 2003–February 29, 2004.

"Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 30, 2007–January 27, 2008; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, March 14–July 6, 2008; Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, August 16, 2008–January 4, 2009; Tacoma Art Museum, Washington, June 27–September 13, 2009.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Two stickers on bottom of base. "DISC FOR STAND / WENDY RAMSHAW / To BE PLACED IN" and "THE CENTER WHEN ON DISPLAY / WENDY RAMSHAW / Slide - 13 / Ringset 1977.149"

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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