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Details
LOT 1750
Merovingian Ring with Horse Galloping
CIRCA 6TH CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (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)).
Comprising a slender hoop and an oval bezel with an incuse image of a stylised horse. [No Reserve]
Provenance
Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000.
From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Literature
Cf. Hadjadj, R., Bagues Merovingiennes - Gaul du Nord, Paris, 2007, items 151,153, for type.
Footnotes
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.
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