Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Mr. Punch Teething Ring

Teething Ring
The Victoria & Albert Museum

By the Nineteenth Century, Mr. Punch was a true superstar in Britain and images of Punchinello, his wife and friends became a popular iconography for all manner of household items.  

Nursery-related items often sported Punch & Judy themes.  A good example is this teething ring which has recently been added to the Victoria & Albert Museum.  The ivory ring is attached to a pierced silver likeness of Mr. Punch which sits atop a mother-of-pearl handle.  It was created in the mid-to-late Nineteenth Century.