Signet Ring
late 16th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ring would have been used as a signet, pressed into hot wax to seal a letter or packet. Personal seals (secreta) provided an essential legal safeguard and were used to witness documents such as wills, deeds of gift, loans and commercial documents, personal letters and land indentures and could also be used to seal goods and boxes. A letter from Lord Berengario in Verona in 906 underscores the importance of the signet: ‘So that this may be more truly believed and more faithfully observed, we order this to be sealed with our ring, confirming it with our own hand’.
Signet rings were also symbols of status and identity. They could be engraved with a coat of arms or crest, an initial, a merchant's mark (a geometric symbol used to mark goods or personal belongings), or a personal symbol. Sixteenth and seventeenth century portraits show signet rings worn on the forefinger or thumb, presumably to make it easy to apply the ring to the wax by turning the hand. They were items of jewellery with a practical function but the use of precious metals and engraved hardstones indicates that they were also signs of status.
This ring is engraved with the initials RK in a shield, presumably those of its first owner. The shield shape holds an implement, perhaps referring to the profession or trade of the ring's wearer or something related to their name or family crest.
Signet rings were also symbols of status and identity. They could be engraved with a coat of arms or crest, an initial, a merchant's mark (a geometric symbol used to mark goods or personal belongings), or a personal symbol. Sixteenth and seventeenth century portraits show signet rings worn on the forefinger or thumb, presumably to make it easy to apply the ring to the wax by turning the hand. They were items of jewellery with a practical function but the use of precious metals and engraved hardstones indicates that they were also signs of status.
This ring is engraved with the initials RK in a shield, presumably those of its first owner. The shield shape holds an implement, perhaps referring to the profession or trade of the ring's wearer or something related to their name or family crest.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Engraved silver gilt |
| Brief description | Silver gilt signet ring, the oval bezel engraved with an implement in a shield beneath 'RK', the shoulders chased with acanthus ornaments, probably Germany, late 16th century |
| Physical description | Silver gilt signet ring, the oval bezel engraved with an implement in a shield beneath 'RK', the shoulders chased with acanthus ornaments |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Implement in a shield beneath 'RK' (engraved) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This ring would have been used as a signet, pressed into hot wax to seal a letter or packet. Personal seals (secreta) provided an essential legal safeguard and were used to witness documents such as wills, deeds of gift, loans and commercial documents, personal letters and land indentures and could also be used to seal goods and boxes. A letter from Lord Berengario in Verona in 906 underscores the importance of the signet: ‘So that this may be more truly believed and more faithfully observed, we order this to be sealed with our ring, confirming it with our own hand’. Signet rings were also symbols of status and identity. They could be engraved with a coat of arms or crest, an initial, a merchant's mark (a geometric symbol used to mark goods or personal belongings), or a personal symbol. Sixteenth and seventeenth century portraits show signet rings worn on the forefinger or thumb, presumably to make it easy to apply the ring to the wax by turning the hand. They were items of jewellery with a practical function but the use of precious metals and engraved hardstones indicates that they were also signs of status. This ring is engraved with the initials RK in a shield, presumably those of its first owner. The shield shape holds an implement, perhaps referring to the profession or trade of the ring's wearer or something related to their name or family crest. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 7753-1863 |
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| Record created | November 25, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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