Gold slide, England, about 1700. Height: 2cm, Width: 2.2cm, Depth: 0.8cm. Bequeathed by Frank Ward, M.14-1960 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

with an enamelled skeleton on a coffin inscribed I Rest and two angels supporting a cartouche with the initials MT embroidered in gold thread on a background of hair and foil, under rock crystal.

Jewels commemorating the dead were widely worn in the decades around 1700. Stark imagery such as skeletons, skulls and winged hourglasses were frequently used. In this case a skeleton lies on a coffin inscribed 'I rest' while two angels hold the deceased's initials - MT - in gold wire aloft. The background is a panel of woven hair, while the decorative elements were produced as standard components in stamped and enamelled gold.

The slide was a very popular type of jewel at this date. Fitted with two flat loops at the back, a ribbon of silk or woven hair would be threaded through enabling it to be worn around the neck or wrist.