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Ring

1815-1867 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Papal States (made)

Although betrothals and weddings were marked by special jewellery throughout Europe, plain gold wedding bands, or even decorative rings like this, are comparatively rare in traditional jewellery.

This ring is typical of traditional wedding rings from the area around Rome. It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.

Object details

Categories
Jewellery
Metalwork
Traditional Jewellery (Europe)
Object type
Ring
Materials and techniques
Stamped gold
Gold
Brief description
Large gold band ring with two rows of bosses, Lazio (Italy), 1815-1867.
Physical description
Gold ring consisting of a band of two rows of stamped domes.
Dimensions
  • Height: 26.8mm
  • Width: 26.8mm
  • Depth: 12.5mm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Crossed keys with mitre above, in oval frame. (On two of the domes.)
    Translation
    Mark for 750 standard gold, Papal States/Rome, 1815-1870.
  • Three (out of four) illegible characters in a horizontal lozenge frame. (On two of the domes.)
    Translation
    Mark of unidentified maker.
Summary
Although betrothals and weddings were marked by special jewellery throughout Europe, plain gold wedding bands, or even decorative rings like this, are comparatively rare in traditional jewellery.

This ring is typical of traditional wedding rings from the area around Rome. It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Bibliographic reference
'Italian Jewellery as worn by the Peasants of Italy', Arundel Society, London, 1868, Plate 8 For similar, see: Catalogue, ‘l'Ornamento Prezioso’, Rome/Milan, 1986, Tab.27, fig. 144
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
169-1868

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O377172/ring-unknown/
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