Moshe Oved lamb ring

A Moshe Oved hammered silver ring modelled as a figural lamb, circa 1940. Moshe Oved [1885 – 1958] was the charismatic owner of the celebrated Bloomsbury antique shop, Cameo Corner, which he founded in 1938. The shop attracted an international clientele of collectors, artists and royalty. Oved was an authority on cameos as well as a poet, writer and sculptor. According to the story, whilst sheltering in the basement of Cameo Corner during the Blitz, in order to steady his trembling hands, he modelled the first of his animal ring designs out of wax. The lamb, symbol of ultimate sacrifice, was made from Oved’s own cufflinks after he learnt that a client’s son had been killed in action. The base of the ring is engraved with the Hebrew inscription: Where is the house of my father? The inscription is probably taken from ‘My Father’s House’ and refers in the Gospels to the Temple of Jerusalem [ John 2:16, Luke 2:49]. The lamb is beautifully modelled, capturing the stance of a newborn wobbly on its legs. The ring is size M [US 6] and in a Cameo Corner ring box.

sold

Tray of animal rings on sale at the former Cameo Corner
[photograph courtesy of Richard Digby]