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LOT 0302
'The Chinnor' Medieval Gold 'None So Well' Decorated Posy Ring
CIRCA 1400-1500 A.D.
3/4 in. (1.83 grams, 18.11 mm overall, 16.35 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J 1/2, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9)).
A gold posy ring composed of a waisted band with pearled and raised upper and lower borders, each decorated with a circumferential ring of pellets, the central section engraved with a blackletter French inscription: 'nul ce bien' ('none so well'), each word separated by sunbursts and flowers; plain interior.
ProvenanceFound whilst searching with a metal detector by Kevin Ford on 25th January 2020 in Chinnor, South Oxfordshire, UK.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme Report (PAS) number OXON-FF9F8E.
Accompanied by a letter to HM Coroner for Oxfordshire from the Treasure Registrar at the British Museum disclaiming the Crown's interest in the ring with treasure reference number 2020 T76.
Accompanied by a letter from the finder detailing the circumstances of the find.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11657-196665.
Published on the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme Database, record id. OXON-FF9F8E.
LiteratureCf. The V&A Museum, accession number M.219-1962, for a very similar 15th century ring; cf. The Portable Antiquities Scheme Database, record ids. PAS-A36D2D and NARC-394C24, for similar ring types of this dates and BERK-1893D5 for a similar ring and inscription; cf. Evans, J., English Posies and Posy Rings, OUP, 1931, p.12, for this inscription in black letter.
FootnotesFrench Gothic blackletter inscriptions on finger rings were associated with the culture of chivalry and courtly love; a historic example of gifts and tokens as expressions of love. Some scholars note that black letter inscriptions are prevalent on love rings between the 13th-15th centuries. Although such rings could be both English and French in origin, it is believed that most were English, with French inscriptions.
Note that the PAS offers a different interpretation of the inscription on this ring.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0302
'The Chinnor' Medieval Gold 'None So Well' Decorated Posy Ring
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,210
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Large French Medieval Vesica-Shaped Seal Matrix 'ad causas' of the Augustinian Abbey of Saint Peter
Early 14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
A bronze vesica-shaped seal matrix with strap and loop to the reverse; incuse motif of an extended right hand holding a crozier on a field of fleurs-de-lys and stars, heraldic shield with lion rampant below; Lombardic script legend to the outer edge within borders "+ S: ABBATIS SCI PETRI AVTYS A[D] CAVSAS" (seal of the abbot of St Peter's, Auxerre). 17.7 grams, 42 mm
The Matrix Collection, formed by David Morris since the late 1980s. Matrix Collection catalogue no.837. Many of the seals within the collection were published in a book titled 'The Matrix Collection', by David Morris in 2012. Accompanied by a copy of the illustrated collection notes.
The Roman name for Auxerre was Autissiodorum, whence the 'Autys'/'Autis' abbreviation. -
Medieval Ring with Beast Facing Back
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Private collection formed since the 1940s. UK art market. Property of an Essex gentleman. -
Large Medieval 'Thames' Pilgrim's Badge Collection
Circa 14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
A mixed group of lead pilgrim badges of different types: a wedge-shaped fragment displaying an openwork oval design; a semi-circular fragment bearing the letters 'CT' on a cross-hatched field; a pointed arch-shaped fragment decorated with lozenges, each populated with a single pellet, two piercings; a discoid example with raised central flower head, enclosed by concentric roundels decorated with geometric forms including pellets, ring-and-dot motifs and hatched lines, together with incomplete legend. 20.3 grams total, 29-39 mm
Found on the Thames foreshore, London, UK. Acquired on the UK antiques market between 1974-1985. Albert Ward collection, Essex, UK.
