Description
Posy rings, so called from the French word for poetry, are often engraved with rhymed mottos. Others, like the present ring, express their poetry with inscriptions of moral sentiments. Hidden from viewers these words we only shared by the giver and receiver of the ring, complimenting the rings’ role as tokens of friendship, fidelity, love, and as this ring articulates, piety.
Description
Fine, irregular, D-section hoop. Italic inscription on the interior reads “Piety is the best monument” followed by the maker’s mark “TS” in a rectangular punch. The ring appears to have been resized, which may account for the undulating band. The ring is in good condition.
Literature
The mark may belong to a goldsmith active 1658-69, as the same punch appears on a number of rings in the British Museum. See for example the fede ring 1961,1202.269; posy AF.1268 with a similar italic script and mourning ring AF.1530 and 1534, both also with similar italic script. On maker’s marks see for instance Dove 1986, Jackson 1905, and the forthcoming publications and databases from The London Goldsmiths’ Company. The inscription is highly unusual and is not recorded in Evans 1931. A brief history of posy rings can be found in a number of sources: for example, Scarisbrick 2007, Taylor and Scarisbrick 1978, and Oman 1974.