Signet Ring
15th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This silver ring is engraved and set with a black decoration known as niello. Niello is a mixture of copper, silver and lead sulphides which was mixed into a paste and inlaid into decoration cut into a metal surface. It was a decorative technique particularly popular in Italian jewellery.
The woman's name 'Catarina' and man's name 'Nicola' which are engraved on the bezel of this ring suggest that it may have been used to mark a wedding or betrothal. The gift of rings formed part of a series of stages in involved in the formation of a medieval Italian marriage, beginning with the signing of a marriage contract and agreement on a dowry, celebrated with a public church service. This was followed by a private nuptial rite in the woman's own home, which involved the gift of a ring and was followed by the transfer of the bride to her husband's home where the wedding celebrations were held. When the merchant Paolo Sassetti recorded his orphaned niece Lena's marriage in April 1384, he recorded that 'the said Lodovico, her husband, went to see her and gave her the ring [and] the contract was written by the said ser Michele'.
The collector Edmund Waterton (1830-81) recorded that he had bought this ring in Italy from a pawnbroker or Monte di Pieta in 1857. It forms part of a collection of over 600 rings and engraved gems from Waterton's collection. Waterton was one of the foremost ring collectors of the nineteenth century and was the author of several articles on rings, a book on English devotion to the Virgin Mary and an unfinished catalogue of his collection (the manuscript is now the National Art Library). Waterton was noted for his extravagance and financial troubles caused him to place his collection in pawn with the London jeweller Robert Phillips. When he was unable to repay the loan, Phillips offered to sell the collection to the Museum and it was acquired in 1871. A small group of rings which Waterton had held back were acquired in 1899.
The woman's name 'Catarina' and man's name 'Nicola' which are engraved on the bezel of this ring suggest that it may have been used to mark a wedding or betrothal. The gift of rings formed part of a series of stages in involved in the formation of a medieval Italian marriage, beginning with the signing of a marriage contract and agreement on a dowry, celebrated with a public church service. This was followed by a private nuptial rite in the woman's own home, which involved the gift of a ring and was followed by the transfer of the bride to her husband's home where the wedding celebrations were held. When the merchant Paolo Sassetti recorded his orphaned niece Lena's marriage in April 1384, he recorded that 'the said Lodovico, her husband, went to see her and gave her the ring [and] the contract was written by the said ser Michele'.
The collector Edmund Waterton (1830-81) recorded that he had bought this ring in Italy from a pawnbroker or Monte di Pieta in 1857. It forms part of a collection of over 600 rings and engraved gems from Waterton's collection. Waterton was one of the foremost ring collectors of the nineteenth century and was the author of several articles on rings, a book on English devotion to the Virgin Mary and an unfinished catalogue of his collection (the manuscript is now the National Art Library). Waterton was noted for his extravagance and financial troubles caused him to place his collection in pawn with the London jeweller Robert Phillips. When he was unable to repay the loan, Phillips offered to sell the collection to the Museum and it was acquired in 1871. A small group of rings which Waterton had held back were acquired in 1899.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Engraved and nielloed silver |
| Brief description | Nielloed silver with a transverse octagonal bezel inscribed in lombardic characters +CATARINA NICOLA surrounding a coat of arms(?) with ridged and scrolling shoulders, Italy, 15th century |
| Physical description | Nielloed silver with a transverse octagonal bezel inscribed in lombardic characters +CATARINA NICOLA surrounding a coat of arms(?) with ridged and scrolling shoulders |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | inscribed +CATARINA NICOLA (in lombardic characters) |
| Object history | Ex Waterton Collection. George Kunz describes this ring in 'Rings for the finger' as 'supposed to have been the wedding ring of the Roman tribune, Cola di Rienzi (ca. 1313-1354), is of silver, with an octagonal bezel; the hoop bears the names: "Catarina" and "Nicola", those of Rienzi and Catarina di Raselli, his bride. The letters have been placed in sharp relief by cutting away the background and filling it up with niello. Between the names are two stars. As Rienzi chose a star as his emblem on the coins he struck during his brief rule in Rome, this device coupled with the names makes the attribution of the ring not without some good foundation. This ring was bought by Mr Waterton in Rome for a trifling sum. It had been pledged in a Monte di Pieta, and was disposed of at one of the periodical clearing sales'. More recent research suggests that Cola di Rienzi or Rienzo married into the Mancini or Martini family (his wife possibly being Joanna Mancini). The link between the ring and Cola di Rienzo therefore seems tenuous. Charles Oman suggested that Nicola di Rienzo did use a star as a device but that it is also possible that the arms were those of a family such as the Abate of Savigliano. Shown at the Ironmongers Hall Exhibition, 1861 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This silver ring is engraved and set with a black decoration known as niello. Niello is a mixture of copper, silver and lead sulphides which was mixed into a paste and inlaid into decoration cut into a metal surface. It was a decorative technique particularly popular in Italian jewellery. The woman's name 'Catarina' and man's name 'Nicola' which are engraved on the bezel of this ring suggest that it may have been used to mark a wedding or betrothal. The gift of rings formed part of a series of stages in involved in the formation of a medieval Italian marriage, beginning with the signing of a marriage contract and agreement on a dowry, celebrated with a public church service. This was followed by a private nuptial rite in the woman's own home, which involved the gift of a ring and was followed by the transfer of the bride to her husband's home where the wedding celebrations were held. When the merchant Paolo Sassetti recorded his orphaned niece Lena's marriage in April 1384, he recorded that 'the said Lodovico, her husband, went to see her and gave her the ring [and] the contract was written by the said ser Michele'. The collector Edmund Waterton (1830-81) recorded that he had bought this ring in Italy from a pawnbroker or Monte di Pieta in 1857. It forms part of a collection of over 600 rings and engraved gems from Waterton's collection. Waterton was one of the foremost ring collectors of the nineteenth century and was the author of several articles on rings, a book on English devotion to the Virgin Mary and an unfinished catalogue of his collection (the manuscript is now the National Art Library). Waterton was noted for his extravagance and financial troubles caused him to place his collection in pawn with the London jeweller Robert Phillips. When he was unable to repay the loan, Phillips offered to sell the collection to the Museum and it was acquired in 1871. A small group of rings which Waterton had held back were acquired in 1899. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 833-1871 |
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| Record created | February 15, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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