Large Georgian Gold Wedding Ring

Painted on a wooden board and covered with a brass riza, with mounting panel to the reverse, depicting the entrance of Christ in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday riding a donkey; crowd within the city wall; followers of Christ in the gateway; Christ with golden nimbus and letters 'ω', 'C' reversed and 'Н'; Greek script title above reciting: 'Η ΒΑΙΦΟΡΟC (Βαϊοφόρος)' (the one who is riding the mule); the background with rocks, tree and the walls of Jerusalem; arabesque decoration to the borders and corners; accompanied by a wooden stand. 762 grams total including stand, Icon: 30.5 x 22.5 cm



Ex David Miller, Hemel Hempstead, London, UK. From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s.

The scene represents a well-known part of the Gospels that describe the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. He makes a grand entrance into the city on a donkey to fulfil the prophecy of Zechariah, “Tell the city of Zion, look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The scene is synthetized in the Greek expression ‘Βαϊοφόρος'.

Restrung group of spherical beads. 11.34 grams, 45.5 cm



From a London, UK, collection, 2000s.

A substantial ring with a box-shaped bezel set with a table-cut red spinel of deep purplish-red hue, the reverse of the bezel convex with chamfered ends. 6.93 grams, 24.30 mm overall, 17.05 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2 , USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)



Private 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.12996-245986.

The box bezel is typical of both Spanish and Islamic goldsmithing traditions. The small pointed projection at the rear of the hoop, however, is not a common feature in Spanish rings but is a distinctive hallmark of Islamic goldwork — a form ultimately rooted in Middle Eastern traditions of the Sasanian, Fatimid, and Mamluk periods. This detail likely reached Spain through the transmission of techniques from the Middle East into Islamic North Africa, and subsequently into the goldsmithing repertoire of al-Andalus. These forms were adapted by Spanish goldsmiths to accommodate the tastes of a Christian clientele, reflecting the deep and enduring influence of Islamic craftsmanship in post-Reconquista Spain.