Ostrogothic Silver Raven-Headed Stud Pair

Wide hoop with a raised boss at the base of the hoop, wide bezel with incuse scrolls. 6.36 grams, 23.31 mm overall, 17.40 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)



Found Oxfordshire, UK. 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 1d of Hadjadj classification, with wide shoulders and a ribbon-like bend to form a bezel engraved with a simple monogram with a pattern borrowed from the Celtic and Germanic iconography. The lateral decoration with vertical lines was arranged in symmetrical parts.

Comprising a slender hoop and a discoid bezel with a stylised boar. 3.99 grams, 21.38 mm overall, 20.12 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)



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 4a of Hadjadj classification. The image is reminiscent of Celto-Roman iconography, although the boar was also a totemic symbol of various Germanic warriors.

Comprising a D-section hoop expanding at the shoulders, an oval bezel with a stylised fish flanked by linear motifs. 5.72 grams, 25.40 mm overall, 19.14 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S, USA 9, Europe 20, Japan 19)



Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.

The German tribes who settled inside the Roman Empire were great wearers of rings; archaeological discoveries show that these ornaments were worn by adults and children of both sexes. The number of graves excavated in Gaul and Germany is large, and the material for comparative study is extensive. A considerable proportion of rings are signets, with 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.