Ring
1800-1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Rings served many purposes in traditional jewellery, and were never worn purely for decoration. The design, materials used, and even the colour usually had some meaning for the original owner.
Rings like this, with two conjoined hearts, were used as betrothal rings in France and Italy. The details of the crown above, and the use of garnets, identify it as French. In Brittany, rings of this design were called à la duchesse Anne, after one supposedly worn by Anne of Brittany for her marriage to the Austrian archduke Maximilian in 1490. Anne was the last independent Duchess of Brittany, and the ring remained popular in the area until the nineteenth century. The same design was worn in Normandy, and this ring was described as coming from there when it was acquired by the Museum in 1871. The word foi means faith, symbolising the promises made at marriage.
Rings like this, with two conjoined hearts, were used as betrothal rings in France and Italy. The details of the crown above, and the use of garnets, identify it as French. In Brittany, rings of this design were called à la duchesse Anne, after one supposedly worn by Anne of Brittany for her marriage to the Austrian archduke Maximilian in 1490. Anne was the last independent Duchess of Brittany, and the ring remained popular in the area until the nineteenth century. The same design was worn in Normandy, and this ring was described as coming from there when it was acquired by the Museum in 1871. The word foi means faith, symbolising the promises made at marriage.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver set with facetted garnets |
| Brief description | Silver ring with two hearts below a garnet crown (bague foi), Normandy (France), 1800-1850. |
| Physical description | Silver ring with a plain shank and a bezel shaped like two hearts with a stylised crown above. The crown is set with three facetted garnets in closed mounts, and there are three more facetted garnets set in the shank on each side of the bezel. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Waterton Collection |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Rings served many purposes in traditional jewellery, and were never worn purely for decoration. The design, materials used, and even the colour usually had some meaning for the original owner. Rings like this, with two conjoined hearts, were used as betrothal rings in France and Italy. The details of the crown above, and the use of garnets, identify it as French. In Brittany, rings of this design were called à la duchesse Anne, after one supposedly worn by Anne of Brittany for her marriage to the Austrian archduke Maximilian in 1490. Anne was the last independent Duchess of Brittany, and the ring remained popular in the area until the nineteenth century. The same design was worn in Normandy, and this ring was described as coming from there when it was acquired by the Museum in 1871. The word foi means faith, symbolising the promises made at marriage. |
| Bibliographic reference | For similar, see:
Bouret, Brigitte, 'Bijoux et Orfèvres en Haute-Normandie au XIXe Siècle', Martainville, 1993, fig. 56, p.127.
Poulenc, Monique, 'Les Bijoux Traditionels Français', RNM, Paris, 1998, nos. 223-226, p.119 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 860-1871 |
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| Record created | November 1, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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