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_900x900.jpg "Langobardic Gold Bishop's Ring Bezel with Large Amethyst")
_200x200.jpg "Langobardic Gold Bishop's Ring Bezel with Large Amethyst")
_900x900.jpg "Langobardic Gold Bishop's Ring Bezel with Large Amethyst")
_200x200.jpg "Langobardic Gold Bishop's Ring Bezel with Large Amethyst")
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LOT 0341
Langobardic Gold Bishop's Ring Bezel with Large Amethyst
7TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/8 in. (11.38 grams, 34.70 mm overall, 17.74 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)).
Square-section inverted pyramid bezel with ornamented faces, set with a polished amethyst pebble; restored hoop, flanked by outward-facing birds with hooked beaks and large ring-and-dot eyes; keeled decorative hoop with three integral collars at the base.
ProvenancePrivate English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s.
Private collection, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12983-245992.
See a closely related ring in the Griffin Collection, currently on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no. L.2015.72.36; see also a gold ring with similar bird motifs in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accession no. 615-1871; see Musée d’Archéologie nationale, Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, inventory no.MAN87191, for a ring featuring a tall, square bezel set with a chrysoprase and having a similar shank, excavated from a 7th-century burial beneath the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
FootnotesThe Langobards (or Lombards) were a Germanic people who invaded and ruled much of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774 AD. Their kingdom, known for its fusion of Germanic and Byzantine artistic traditions, persisted until the Carolingian conquest under Charlemagne.
A Bishop’s ring is a large, often ornate ring worn by bishops as a symbol of their office and spiritual authority. Traditionally, it signifies the bishop’s commitment to the Church and is considered a mark of his episcopal dignity.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0341
Langobardic Gold Bishop's Ring Bezel with Large Amethyst
Sold for (Inc. bp): £15,600
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Merovingian Child's Ring with Cross
Circa 600-700 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Comprising a slender flat-section hoop with a raised circular bezel with incuse cross potent. 1.07 grams, 19.18 mm overall, 16.41 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K, USA 5 1/4, Europe 9.95, Japan 9)
Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
The ring belongs to Type 4b of Hadjadj classification. The image is a clear early Christian motif. A considerable proportion of rings found in the graves show portraits, names or monograms, and emblems such as the cross, the fish, the dove, i.e. early Christian symbols, most of these have the designs cut in a metal bezel. -
Merovingian Bronze Ring with Facing Figure
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Comprising a round-section hoop with keeled shoulders, with pointillé decoration; a lentoid bezel with pointillé border and central facing figure. 6.34 grams, 25.80 mm overall, 20.46 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P 1/2, USA 7 3/4, Europe 16.86, Japan 16)
Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
The image is reminiscent of Celtic (Gaulish) divine iconography, and these kinds of rings were in fact found in Gallo-Roman graves, belonging to the Gallo-Roman population under Carolingian rule. -
Merovingian Ring with Horse Galloping
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Comprising a slender hoop and an oval bezel with an incuse image of a stylised horse. 3.53 grams, 18.72 mm overall, 16.18 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K, USA 5 1/4, Europe 10.58, Japan 10)
Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
The ring belongs to the Type 4b of Hadjadj classification, i.e. rings with a sinuous profile and thick head. The image on the bezel is reminiscent of horse motifs linked to the Romano-Celtic mythology, although the horse was a known pattern in the Germanic legends as well.
