Jacob Johan von Bilang (1740–1803) was born Österbotten, in the Finnish part of what was then Sweden. He began his military career while still a child in his father’s Österbotten regiment, entered French service in 1759 and returned to Sweden in 1762. A stipend he received in 1766 enabled him to travel extensively for years, including to England. The purpose of his travels appears to have been to increase his knowledge of etching and miniature painting. He became a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1796. This ring is marked 1762 and proves that he had already mastered ivory carving before his trip to England, an art he had probably learnt in France. Von Bilang was not the only officer in the 18th and 19th centuries to combine a military and artist career.