Twisted Band Ring
, England, 15th-16th century
Twisted Band Ring
Description
This beautiful, wearable ring consists of a spiral-grooved hoop. The decorated band is typical of medieval iconographic rings fabricated in England made in both silver and gold. Such rings were also used as wedding bands, as might have been the case with this ring.
The wide silver hoop is slightly rounded inside with an original solder point and twisted and beaded on the outer side. Between one of the grooves on the outer side are two out-of-place beads where a punch was apparently hammered in the wrong position. The ring is in good wearable condition.
Literature:
This type of twisting, fluted band is common to devotional or iconographic rings bearing figures of saints, as in two gold rings and one silver ring at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (gold rings inv. no. M.211-1975 and inv. no. 692-1871, the latter published in Oman 1930, cat. 729; the silver ring inv. no. M.818-1926, published in Oman 1930, cat. 725).