2 spier opt sec
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/4/2019 2 Spier Opt Sec
1/7Intelligible Beauty | 13
Although many rings dating from the late 5th and early 6th
century survive, no careful typological study of these has yet
been undertaken.1 The various shapes of Early Byzantine ringsare, however, adequately documented in publications of
individual museum and private collections.2 These rings, like
much of what is often termed the koinstyle of Byzantinejewellery (found throughout the Empire), tend to fall into clear
categories based on shape and technique, with a far more
limited variety than was seen during the Roman Empire. Most
of the shapes that emerged in the 6th century are distinctive
and found in relatively large numbers, but there are someunusual types as well. This paper will examine three related
aspects relating to the typology of Early Byzantine rings: somerare varieties of the late 5th century, some unconventional
rings of the 6th7th centuries, and the connection between
rings of Byzantine origin and similar examples produced in the
Germanic kingdoms in the West (Ostrogothic, Lombardic,Merovingian, Vandal, and Visigothic), a relationship that has
not been particularly well documented.
Already by the mid-3rd century, after the fall of the Severandynasty, a significant change in fashion is apparent. Gemstones
were rarely engraved, and rings were set instead with old
gems, unengraved gems, or coins. In the Constantinian period,rings became larger, with tubular hoops or hoops decoratedwith f loral patterns (usually an acanthus wreath). Sometimes
the hoops and bezels are hollow with embossed decoration.
Material from the late 4th and 5th centuries is poorlyattested and difficult to classify, but evidence is provided by
several late 5th century hoards of jewellery. Unfortunately,
there is no trace of the greatest discovery of the period, the
tomb of the empress Maria, wife of Honorius, who died aroundthe year 400 and was buried in the now-destroyed chapel of St
Petronilla in St Peters in Rome.3 When the chapel was
demolished in 1544, workmen found the tomb which
contained, according to contemporary accounts, two silverboxes full of rings. Nothing appears to have survived or was
even recorded with the exception of the so-called bulla, a goldpendant studded with emeralds and garnets enclosing a cameo
in the shape of a chi-rho monogram composed of the names of
Maria and her family.4 The use of emerald and garnet is typical
of the changing tastes in gemstones in Late Antiquity; thesestones, along with sapphire, amethyst, and rock crystal,
become the most popular stones for use in jewellery.
The most important and best recorded hoard of the late 5thcentury material was found at Reggio Emilia in 1957.5 The
hoard, evidently belonging to an eastern Germanic official of
some standing, contained jewellery of the highest quality,including necklaces and earrings set with garnets, a pair ofGothicfibulae, a gold opus interrasilefibula of
Constantinopolitan manufacture denoting the owners high
official status,6 15 gold rings, some set with gems, and gold
coins of the late 5th century down to the time of Emperor Zeno(47491). There is a notable variety of rings, but all display
typically Late Antique characteristics, such as tubular hoops
and hollow hoops with embossed floral (acanthus) decoration.
Most of the rings are set with gems typical of the period(emerald, garnet, sapphire, and pearl), while other rings have
bezels engraved with Gothic names or Latin monograms, a
fashion introduced at the end of the 5th century.One particular variety of ring is of special interest as it
suggests ties to Constantinople. The shape is characterized by
its ribbed, calyx-shaped bezel set with a gem and joined toeither a tubular or octagonal hoop. Two examples were presentin the Reggio Emilia hoard, one with an unengraved nicolo, the
other with a garnet.7 A number of similar rings are known,
including one example set with a much older engraved gemprobably of 1st centurybc date (Pls 1ab),8 another in a hoard
of Byzantine jewellery from Istria, Romania, set with a
contemporary engraved garnet,9 and a third discovered inGeorgia, also with an engraved garnet.10 Other examples
without recorded provenance are known as well.11 An origin for
the workshop in Constantinople is suggested by the eastern
Mediterranean and Black Sea provenance of a number of rings,
as well as the frequent use of contemporary engraved garnetscut in what I have defined as a prolific garnet workshop in
late-5th century Constantinople. Around 70 examples ofgarnets from the workshop have now been recorded, all of
distinctive shape, style, and iconography.12
Engraved garnets from this workshop are also found set in
a group of finely embossed rings, most of which have beendiscovered in Italy. One example was present in the Reggio
Emilia hoard; its hoop is embossed with a f loral pattern, and
the garnet is engraved with a dolphin.13 Another hoard ofjewellery and silver, said to have been discovered at or in the
vicinity of Desana (Vercelli), contained nine gold rings, similar
to the variety found in the Reggio Emilia hoard, including oneof the embossed type set with a garnet engraved with a hare.14A third embossed ring, set with an unengraved garnet, was
found in a Gothic grave at Torriano, which also contained a
pair offibulae of Gothic type and a belt buckle.15 The finest
Some Unconventional Early Byzantine Rings
Jeffrey Spier
Plates 1a-b Gold ring set with an earlier intaglio, Byzantine, late 5th century.Private collection
-
8/4/2019 2 Spier Opt Sec
2/7
Plates 2a-c Gold ring set with an engraved garnet, Byzantine, late 5th century. London, British Museum (PE 72,6-4,313)
Plates 3a-c Gold ring set with an engraved garnet portrait of Theodosius II (40150). Private collection
Plates 4a-b Gold ring set with an engraved garnet, Byzantine, 5th century.Vidin (Bulgaria), Historical Museum
Plates 5a-b Gold ring with niello inlay, Byzantine, late 5th century. FormerlyChristies, New York, Antiquities, 18 December 1998, lot 160
14 | Intelligible Beauty
Spier
-
8/4/2019 2 Spier Opt Sec
3/7Intelligible Beauty | 15
Some Unconventional Early Byzantine Rings
example of the embossed group, a ring in the British Museum,may also have been discovered in Italy (although no find site is
recorded, it was purchased from the Roman dealer Alessandro
Castellani) (Pl. 2).16 The engraved garnet shows an unusualimage of a seated figure, his hands raised in prayer, likely
depicting the emperor flanked by crosses. The hoop is finely
embossed with floral motifs, tendrils, and birds. Although most
of these rings have been found in Italy, the garnets are
certainly from Constantinopolitan workshops, and the rings,too, were most likely produced there. The date for the group
must be in the late 5th century in v iew of the coins in theReggio Emilia hoard and the style of the gems. The rings, like
the fine opus interrasile goldfibulae, were likely gifts bestowed
as signs of official status and demonstrate direct
communication between the Byzantine court and Gothicofficials in Italy.
Engraved garnets from the same workshop in
Constantinople are found in some other rings of similar dateand related style and technique. They have different forms of
calyx bezel, often of high, stepped form. The finest and
earliest datable example is the very large, hollow gold ring withits hoop embossed with an acanthus wreath and a steppedbezel set with a garnet engraved with a frontal portrait of the
Emperor Theodosius II (40150). The ring no doubt once
belonged to an important imperial official or client king (Pls
3a-c).17 A simpler but typologically related ring was found in a
hoard of jewellery from Ratiaria, Bulgaria, thought to date
from the mid-5th century. It has a tubular hoop and steppedbezel set with a garnet engraved with a cross (Pls 4ab).18
Also around this date (the mid- to late 5th century), ring
bezels began to be engraved with personal names and
monograms, a fashion that became increasingly popular. Rings
bearing Latin monograms and both Roman and Gothic nameswere present in the Reggio Emilia and Desana hoards and have
been found elsewhere in Italy as well. One ring from ReggioEmilia is inscribed with the names of a Gothic couple, Stafara
and Ettila.19 A ring in the Desana hoard records the names
Stefanus and Valatruda, perhaps a mixed marriage between a
Roman and a Gothic woman.20 Similarly, the grave of a Gothic,perhaps Gepidic, aristocrat discovered at Apahida in Romania
contained spectacular gold and garnet jewellery, buckles, and
fibulae, including an opus interrasile example fromConstantinople, together with three rings.21 One ring is
inscribed in Latin with the Gothic name Omharus, very likely
the owner of the treasure. A second ring bears an engravedmonogram that has been read as also representing the nameOmharus.22 The letter forms are, however, Greek, and the
identical monogram is used elsewhere for the common name
Marias (the genitive form of Maria).23 This ring was an import
from Constantinople, and although the commonly found, off-the-shelf monogram could have been selected to denote
Omharus, perhaps it is more likely that the ring belonged to the
Gothic officials wife (a Greek?), named Maria. In any event,the fashion for rings with monograms, which had reached
Gothic Italy by the late 5th century, certainly originated in
Constantinople. Rings with Greek monograms of block type
were widely used, and the style continued well into the 6th
century, eventually to be replaced by cruciform monogramsaround 550.24
Several other distinctive varieties of rings originated inConstantinople in the late 5th century and served as prototypes
for Western copies. The Byzantine origin of one such group has
become clear recently thanks to the appearance of several
previously unpublished examples.25 The rings have broadhoops, usually curved slightly inward, with f lattened,
triangular shoulders decorated with niello inlay and
sometimes monograms. The bezels are stepped, with the topeither engraved or set with a stone. The finest extant example
has a partridge engraved on the bezel, niello-inlaid floral
motifs and spirals on the shoulders, inlaid patterns of steps andwaves on the sides of the bezel and hoop, and two engravednames EYTYXHOY and MAPIAC, (of ) Eutychios (and) Maria
(Pl. 5).26 A second example, seemingly by the same goldsmith,
has similar niello decoration on the shoulders and around thebezel but not on the hoop, and there are no names; the bezel is
set with a cabochon garnet (Pl. 6). A third specimen is much
smaller and lighter, with a cruder pattern of palmettes inlaidwith niello on the shoulders; engraved on the top of the bezel is
the Greek monogram for Marias, (of) Maria (Pl. 7). An
example in silver with gilded top, in the Schmidt collection in
Munich, is engraved with two monograms on the shoulders
(Pl. 8).27
All these are certainly eastern, likely fromConstantinople.
Plate 6 Gold ringwith niello inlay,set with a garnet,Byzantine, late 5thcentury. Privatecollection
Plate 7 Gold ringwith niello inlayand engravedmonogram,Byzantine, late 5thcentury. Privatecollection
Plates 8a-b Silver ring with gilding and engraved monograms, Byzantine, late5th century. Munich, C.S. collection
-
8/4/2019 2 Spier Opt Sec
4/7
Spier
16 | Intelligible Beauty
the Guilhou collection and likely from Italy (purchased from
Castellani again) also has triangular shoulders and even moreelaborate niello inlay.32 The bezel is set with an emerald and
two garnets. The Latin inscription around the bezel reads,
micael mecv vivas in deo, Michael, live with me in God. The
fine floral decoration on the shoulders finds a close parallel on
the remarkable gold reliquary cross discovered in 1863 in the
church of San Lorenzo fuori le mura in Rome and now in theVatican Museums collection, which in addition bears block
monograms and Latin inscriptions.33 Both ring and cross must
come from the same mid- 6th-century workshop, probably inRome.
During the 6th century, a number of new varieties of rings
were introduced by workshops in Constantinople, and some ofthese proved influential on tastes in the west. The mostpopular type of Byzantine ring had a tubular or octagonal hoop
joined to a separately worked flat bezel (round, square,
cruciform, or f loral-shaped), which was engraved with a
There are, however, western versions closely copying the
shape of the originals. A gold ring with ruby setting is of thesame shape and similarly has niello inlay on the triangular
shoulders (Pl. 9).28 It is said to be from Italy and was likelymade there, as suggested by the unusual niello design, but
bronze rings of similar shape and with the same distinctive
decorative pattern on the shoulders were likely made in
Visigothic Spain as well (Pl. 10). 29 A slightly later but closelyrelated shape is seen on a particularly fine gold ring in the
Museo Lzaro Galdiano in Madrid, which is set with an
emerald engraved with busts of Peter and Paul (Pls 11a-c).30Around the bezel and on the triangular shoulders are carefully
engraved Latin inscriptions and monograms with niello inlay,
augustini vita in xps, Augustinus, life is in Christ, and a pairof identical cruciform monograms best resolved as the nameAugustinus. The cruciform monogram first appeared in
Byzantium in the 520s31 and became increasingly popular; this
ring may date c. 550 or slightly later. Another fine ring, once in
Plates 11a-c Gold ring with niello inlay, set with an engraved emerald, Rome(?), 6th century. Madrid, Museo Lzaro Galdiano
Plate 12 Silver ring of architecturalform, Byzantine, mid-6th century.Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum
Plate 13 Gold ring of architecturalform, Merovingian, 6th century, fromLa Garde (Loire). Private collection
Plates 9a-b Gold ring with niello inlay, set with a ruby, Gothic, late 5thcentury. London, British Museum (PE AF 483)
Plate 10 Bronze ring with engraved decoration, Visigothic, late 5th century.Private collection
-
8/4/2019 2 Spier Opt Sec
5/7Intelligible Beauty | 17
Some Unconventional Early Byzantine Rings
monogram, religious invocation, or iconographic device (suchas Christ, the Virgin, a saint, or an eagle with wings spread).
Somewhat surprisingly, rings of this type had little influence in
the West. Other Byzantine rings were more elaborate, notably
those with tall, conical, or calyx-shaped bezels ringed with
pearls and set with rock crystal, garnet, emerald, sapphire orpearl, with broad hoops, sometimes embossed or executed in
openwork. All these varieties of rings have been found togetherin hoards, demonstrating their contemporaneity. They may
well derive from the same goldsmiths ateliers that produced
other types of jewellery, such as earrings, necklaces, small
crosses and various forms of pendants.34
Two types of rings of relatively simple construction appear
to have originated in Constantinople and achieved great
popularity in the Gothic West in more elaborate versions. TheByzantine prototypes of both varieties were included in an
interesting hoard of silver jewelry, including coins, belt buckles
and tabs, a spoon, an amuletic silver armband, fragments ofpendants, and at least eight rings, all datable to the mid-6thcentury, now in Toronto. The shape of one of the rings can be
described as architectural. The tubular hoop is attached to a
bezel composed of a square platform and four pieces of filigreewire bent into semi-circles terminating in spirals, which
support a hemispherical, dome-like element; additional pellets
sometimes ornament the joins and the top of the dome (Pl.
12).35 In addition to the silver example in Toronto, specimens in
gold are in the Benaki Museum and in the Stathatos Collection
in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, the latter said
to be from the island of Chios.36
The architectural shape reached the West, but therebecame far more elaborate in decoration. An example found in
the church of Madonna dell Orto in Rome has a heavyopenwork hoop decorated with beaded wire; the filigree
columns on the bezel support a pyramidal roof ornamented
with granulation.37 Merovingian examples, which survive in
some quantity, tend to be even more complex, adding filigreewire and granulation to band hoops and pyramidal tops, some
set with garnets or other gems (Pl. 13).38 Examples reached
Spain as well.39 Heavier versions, with squat columns andbezels either engraved or set with gems, are typically found in
Alamannic and Germanic sites in Germany and Eastern
Europe, although at least one was discovered in Gaul.40
The second variety of ring is not well attested in Byzantinefinds, but three examples in silver were present in the Toronto
hoard. Another example in gold, not from the hoard but
certainly of Byzantine manufacture judging from its style, is in
the same collection (Pl. 14).41 These rings have band hoops,curved inward, and are distinctive for their bezel decorated
with two raised, diamond-shaped elements placed side-by-side
and outlined in beaded wire filigree, with some additional
filigree on the shoulders. This variety, too, reached the West,
where typically they had broad bands and were decorated withelaborate filigree and granulation. They are well attested, both
in gold and silver, at Lombardic sites, most notably the 6th7th-century burials at Castel Trosino, near Rome (Pl. 15).42 A few
Merovingian examples, very similar to those from Rome, have
been found in Gaul.43
A final group of elaborately constructed rings with complexbezels set with precious stones is poorly documented, but these
rings, too, appear to have originated in Byzantium and found
favour in the Gothic west. Without further provenanceinformation, however, it is difficult to form a clear picture of
their development. One type is distinguished by its unusual
double-bezel taking the form of a large central setting (oval,rectangular, or diamond-shaped) with an additional element,often a small cone outlined in filigree, attached to the side of
the ring. Both elements are set with gems or pearls. Rings with
double-bezels of this type may date as early as the 3rdcentury,44 but a number of examples are clearly of 6th or early
7th century date. A very fine gold example set with an emerald
and a garnet appears to be Byzantine,45 as does another with aband hoop and calyx bezel set with a garnet and a pearl.46 A
remarkable variant in the Stathatos collection in Athens has a
rectangular central element set with a large garnet and
decorated with a border of granulated pyramids, while a small
bezel on the side has a hinged gold foil cross that served as acover for the compartment (perhaps for a relic?).47 A very
similar example is in a private collection in Munich. Simplerversions, which have appeared on the market in recent years
without recorded provenance, also may be Byzantine.48 Several
others of slightly more ornate form have been discovered in
Gaul and are likely of Merovingian origin.49A related type of ring adds an architectural feature of four
columns supporting a rectangular bezel set with a gem. One
example decorated with filigree and set with a large garnet isthought to be from Italy (Pls 16ab).50 A ring in the Hashimoto
collection combines this variety of architectural ring with the
double-bezel group by adding a small second bezel of conicalshape to the side of the ring, along with filigree wire decoration(Pl. 17).51 Another example in a private collection is similar, but
it is set with a rock crystal engraved with a cross (the engraved
side set face down) and a garnet in the small, conical side bezel
Plate 14 Gold ring with double-diamond bezel,Byzantine, 6th century. Toronto, Royal OntarioMuseum
Plate 15 Gold rings with double-diamond bezels, Lombardic, late 6th7th century, from CastelTrosino. Rome, Museo dellAlto Medioevo
-
8/4/2019 2 Spier Opt Sec
6/718 | Intelligible Beauty
Spier
9 Ibid., 87, no. 483.10 Ibid., 87, no. 486.11 Ibid., 91, n. 11; for another, set with a plasma intaglio, see H. Battke,
Geschichte des Ringes, Pforzheim, 1953, 378, no. 45, pl. 8; R.Hadjadj,Bagues mrovingiennes. Gaule du Nord , Paris, 2007, 290,no. 359, records several specimens from Gaul, but, like theexamples from Italy, these are likely Byzantine imports.
12 Spier (n. 3), 8792.13 Degani (n. 5), 62, no. 8; Spier (n. 3), 88, no. 504.14 V. Bierbrauer,Die ostgotischen Grab- und Schatzfund in Italien ,
Spoleto, 1974, 270 1, pl. 12, 8; Spier (n. 3), 88, no. 508.15 Bierbrauer (n. 14), 31820, pls 423; Spier (n. 3), 90, n. 8.16 Spier (n. 3), 89 and 92, no. 522.17 Ibid., 256, no. 76.18 D. Giorgetti, Trsor de parures dor et dobjets dargent,
Archeologiya(Sofia) 3 (1988), 32, no. 4, fig. 6; Spier (n. 3), 89, no.512.
19 Degani (n. 5), 63, no. 15, and the commentary on the Gothic nameson this and related rings, 79110 (C.A. Mastrelli); for similar ringswith Gothic names, see also: O.M. Dalton,Franks Bequest.Catalogue of the Finger Rings, Early Chri stian, Byzantine, Teutonic,
Mediaeval and Later, London, 1912, 3, no. 11 (Blithia and monogram)and 23, no. 146 (Gundehildis); Hadjadj (n. 11), 343, no. 470.
20 Bierbrauer (n. 14), 270, pl. 12, 7.21 M.C. Bianchini (ed.),Lor des princes barbares du Caucase la Gaule
Ve sicle aprs J.-C., Paris, 2000, 184 90, nos 30, 3, and 30, 4.22 J. Werner, Namensring und Siegelring aus dem gepidischen
Grabfund von Apahida, Siebenbrgen,Klner Jahrbuch fr Vor-und Frhgeschichte 9 (196768), 1203, who recognized that theletter forms are Greek but believed the monogram should beresolved as Omharus, which is conceivable.
23 See the Byzantine ring, Pl. 7 above, and the garnet, Spier (n. 3), 90,no. 538.
24 See, for example, O.M. Dalton, Catalogue of Early ChristianAntiquities and Objects from the Christian East in the Department ofBritish and Mediaeval Antiquities and Ethnography of the British
Museum, London, 1901, 27, nos 168 and 170; G. Taylor and D.Scarisbrick,Finger Rings. From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day,Oxford, 1978, 42, no. 201; G. Schlumberger and A. Blanchet,Collections Sigillographiques, Paris, 1914, 180, no. 605, pl. 25, 9
(Pls 18ab). The engraved rock crystal very likely is a product
of a late 6th- or early 7th-century workshop perhaps located in
Antioch; other rock crystals of this type were set in pendants,although no other recorded specimen is in a ring.52 Like other
rings of 6th7th century date, these elaborately constructed
double-bezel and architectural rings, although difficult to
categorise with the little information available, appear also tohave originated in Byzantium before finding their way West.
Notes1 For the typology of rings dating from the imperial period, see the
useful surveys in: F.H. Marshall, Catalogue of the Finger Rings,Greek, Etruscan and Roman, in the Departments of Antiquities
British Museum, London, 1907, xlvxlix; F. Henkel,Die rmischenFingerringe der Rheinlande , Berlin, 1913.
2 See, for example, M.C. Ross,Catalogue of the Byzantine and Early
Mediaeval Antiquities in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection, vol. 2,
Jewelry, Enamels, and Art of the Migration Period , Washington DC,1965; G. Vikan, Early Christian and Byzantine Rings in the ZuckerFamily Collection,Journal of the Walters Art Gallery 45 (1987),3243.
3 J. Spier,Late Antique and Early Christian Gems , Wiesbaden, 2007,12; the contemporary accounts of the discover y of the tomb aregathered by P. Mazzuchelli,La Bolla di Maria, moglie dOnorioimperatore che si conserva nel Museo Trivulzio, brevamente spiegata,Milan, 1819.
4 Spier (n. 3), 138, no. 752; P. Pasini (ed.),387d.c. Ambrogio e Agostino.Le sorgenti dellEuropa , Milan, 2003, 441, no. 339 (E. Gagetti).
5 M. Degani,Il Tesoro Romano Barbarico di Reggio Emilia , Florence,1959.
6 Forfibulae of this type, see B. Deppert-Lippitz, A Late Antique Gold
Fibula in the Burton Y. Berry Collection, in A. Calinescu (ed.),Ancient Jewelry and Archaeology, Bloomington and Indianapolis,1996, 23543; and for objects presented as imperial largess, see R.MacMullen, The emperors largesses,Latomus21 (1962), 15966.
7 Degani (n. 5), 61, nos 56, pl. 22, 25.8 Spier (n. 3), 91, n. 11, pl. 138, fig. 7.
Plates 16ab Gold ring, set with garnet, Lombardic (?), late 6th7th century. Privatecollection
Plate 17 Gold ringwith double bezel,Byzantine orMerovingian, 6th7thcentury. Tokyo,Hashimoto collection
Plates 18ab Gold ring with doublebezel, set with engraved rock crystaland garnet, Byzantine, 6th7thcentury. Private collection
-
8/4/2019 2 Spier Opt Sec
7/7Intelligible Beauty | 19
Some Unconventional Early Byzantine Rings
(which should be read as Konstantinou); C. Stiegemann,Byzanz.Das Licht aus dem Osten , Mainz, 2001, 3289, no. IV.63 (J. Spier),read as perhaps Eugenios.
25 J. Spier, Un anillo bizantino-occidental en el Museo LzaroGaldiano, Goya. Revista de Arte 216 (1990), 32830, first discussesthe group, but a number of additional examples have since come tolight.
26 Christies, New York, Antiquities, 18 December 1998, lot 160; there aresuperb modern forgeries of this ring in both gold and silver.
27 Spier (n. 25), 329, fig. 4; collection C.S., Munich.28 Dalton (n. 19), 28, no. 176a; for another gold ring of similar shape,said to be from S. Angelo dei Lombardi in Campania, see Marshall(n. 1), 138, no. 846.
29 Private collection, unpublished; see also, Wm. Reinhart, Losanillos Hispano-Visigodos,Archivo espnol de arqueologia 20(1947), 177, fig. 3, nos 65 and 69.
30 Spier (n. 3), 99 and 101, no. 579.31 The earliest datable cruciform monograms are those of the
Emperor Justin I (51827), which appear on small bronze coinsstruck at Antioch, for which see M. Phillips and S. Tyler-Smith, Asixth-century hoard of nummi and five-nummi pieces,NumismaticChronicle (1998), 318 and 322.
32 M. Deloche,Anneaux sigillaires, Paris, 1900, 3067, no. CCLVI;Spier (n. 25), 330, fig. 6.
33 G.B. De Rossi, La croce doro rinvenuta nella basilica di SanLorenzo,Bullettino di Archeologia Cristiana 1 (1863), 338; F.Bisconti and G. Gentili (eds),La Rivoluzione dellimmagine. Arte
paleocristinana tra Roma e Bisanzi , Milan, 2007, 1723, no. 37 (C.Lega).
34 See, for example, the hoard of jewellery said to be from Syria andnow in Washington, which includes six rings of different shapes:Ross (n. 2), 1359, no. 179A-S.
35 Royal Ontario Museum, inv. no. 986.101.102.36 B. Segall,Katalog der Goldschmiede-arbeiten: Museum Benaki,
Athen, Athens, 1938, 162, no. 356, pl. 50; . Coche de la Fert,Collection Hlne Stathatos: les objets byzantins et post-byzantins,Limoges, 1957, 1517, pl. 1, 3; another silver example, said to havebeen found in Lebanon with other rings, is in Munich: L. Wamserand G. Zahlhaas (eds),Rom und Byzanz. Archologische
Kostbarkeiten aus Bayern , Munich, 1998, 2178, no. 318; for a gold
example with a cameo set in the bezel: Spier (n. 3), no. 751; andanother set with an emerald: D. Scarisbrick,Historic Rings. FourThousand Years of Craftsmanship, Tokyo, New York and London,2004, 434, no. 104 (Hashimoto collection, Tokyo).
37 F. Gaultier and C. Metzger (eds),Trsors antiques. Bijoux de lacollection Campana, Milan, 2005, 148, no. III.9; see also an examplesaid to be from Milan: Dalton (n. 19), 27, no. 174.
38 Hadjadj (n. 11), 747, nos 246, 253, 259, 325, 378, 393, 482, 483, 493,499, 534, 561, 569, 587, 594. Pl. 13, from La Garde (Loire) and now ina private collect ion, is published in Deloche (n. 32), pl. 4, 11, andHadjadj (n. 11), no. 587; S. Hindman, Towards an Art Hi story of
Medieval Rings. A Private Collection , London, 2007, 703 and 21718,no. 10. One ring probably of Merovingian origi n was discovered in a7th-century Avar grave in Hungary: F. Daim, Avars and Avararchaeology: an introduction, in H.-W. Goetz, J. Jarnut and W. Pohl
(eds),Regna and Gentes. The Relationship between Late Antique andEarly Medieval Peoples and Kingdoms in the Transformation of the
Roman World, Leiden and Boston, 2003, 491, pl. 25, 2; I am gratefulto Falko Daim for this information. See also the architecturalelement of a ring used as the head of a pin, probably from a
Merovingian grave: O. van Hessen,Museo Nazionale del Bargello.Gioielli franchi della collezione Carrand, Florence, 1981, 11, pl. 1b.
39 A ring very similar to Merovingian examples was found atTorredonjimeno: Reinhart (n. 29), 169, fig. 1, 4a; a more unusualring set with a pearl, said to be from Alcudia (Elche) and allegedlyfound with other rings, jewellery, and 4th-century coins, appears todate much later than the 4th century: see, H. Schlunk and T.Hauschild,Hispania Antiqua , Mainz, 1978, 157, pls 48b and 49b(private collection of A. Ramos Folqus).
40 For example: a gold ring from a womans grave at Samobor(Zagreb), Croatia: W. Menghin, T. Springer and E. Wamers (eds),Germanen, Hunnen und Awaren, Nrnberg, 1987, 191 and 196, IV,8.a; another gold ring from a 6th-century womans grave atDonzdorf (Baden-Wrttemberg): H. Roth,Kunst und Handwerk im
frhen Mittelalter , Stuttgart, 1986, pl. 44b; a gold ring engravedwith a monogram: A.B. Chadour,Ringe. Die Alice und Louis KochSammlung, Leeds, 1994, vol. 1, 151, no. 507; a silver example ofunknown provenance, once set with a stone: C.C. Oman, Victoriaand Albert Museum. Catalogue of Rings, London, 1930, 65, no. 235,pl. 9; and a gold ring, finely car ved and engraved with a male headin profile and an inscription, discovered at Saint-Pierre (Ardche):Deloche (n. 32), 2345, no. CCX.
41 Royal Ontario Museum, Inv. no. 986.181.1; the silver rings are inv.nos 986.101.103.12.
42 G. Becatti, Oreficerie antiche dalle minoiche alle barbariche, Rome,1955, 2212, nos 57980; C. Bertelli and G.P. Brogiolo (eds),Il futurodei longobardi. LItalia e la costruzione dellEuropa di Carlo Magno,Milan, 2000, 42, fig. 15, 48, no. 12d.
43 Hadjadj (n. 11), nos 87 and 97, both silver, and an unpublished goldexample.
44 Chadour (n. 40), 124, no. 426, set with emeralds.45 A.B. Chadour and R. Joppien,Kunstgewerbemuseum der Stadt Kln.
Schmuck II, Fingerringe, Cologne, 1985, 104, no. 15.46 Chadour (n. 40), 144, no. 484.47 A.K. Orlandos, Collection Hlne Stathatos: objets antiques et
byzantins, Strasbourg, 1963, 289, no. 230bis, pl. 44; L. Ktzsche-Breitenberg, Zum Ring des Gregor von Nyssa, in E. Dassmann andK. Thraede (eds), Tesserae. Festschrift fr Josef Engemann, Mnster,1991, 2918, pl. 38. In the late 4th century, St Macrina, the sister ofBasil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa, was said to have worn an
iron ring which contained a piece of the True Cross (Gregory ofNyssa, Vita Macrinae), but no ring that served as a reliquar yappears to survive.
48 Hadjadj (n. 11), 3467, no. 474, Content collection, formerlyChristies, New York, Ancient Jewelry, 7 December 2006, lot 309, setwith an amethyst and a pearl; a very similar example set with agarnet appeared the following year: Christies, New York, Ancient
Jewelry, 6 December 2007, lot 468; an example in the BritishMuseum, Marshall (n. 1), 133, no. 815, set with a plasma and apartially dril led sapphire, does not have a recorded provenance.
49 Hadjadj (n. 11), 83 and 3467, nos 173, 330, 403, 426 and 474, whodiscusses the group and notes further examples from EasternEurope; see also the example set with a sapphire in the Victoria &
Albert Museum, which is said to be Merovingian: Oman (n. 40), 65,no. 239.
50 Hindman (n. 38), 669 and 21617, no. 9, as Lombardic, 7th century,although it may be earlier.
51 Scarisbrick (n. 36), 43, no. 103, formerly in the Adolphe Stocletcollection; the stones are missing.
52 Spier (n. 3), 11526, nos 6967 (crosses).