Description:

Ancient Near East, Byzantine Empire, ca. late 6th to 7th century CE. A superb marriage ring formed from 88.89% - over 21 karats - gold and featuring a thick, tubular band and a circular bezel. The bezel is incised with the full figure of Christ joining the hands(dextrarum iunctio) of the groom, in a chlamys to the left, and the bride, who wears a crown at the right. Size of bezel: 0.6" W (1.5 cm); of ring: 1" W (2.5 cm); US ring size: 8.5; gold quality: 88.89% (over 21 karats); weight: 8.7 grams

Quite what role rings like this example played in the marriage ceremony is unclear. In the Roman period the right hands of the couple were joined in the ceremony known as dextrarum iunctio and although this ritual was adopted by Christians there is no evidence that rings were involved. Theophylact Simocatta, for instance, in his description of the marriage of the emperor Maurice (582-602) alludes to a priest 'who took the royal pair's hands, joined them to each other and blessed the emperor's marriage with salutations of prayer', but does not mention rings. Although betrothal rings (the annulus pronobus) were presented by the groom to the bride, it seems likely that the function of most Byzantine marriage rings was to commemorate the marriage after the fact. An unusual iconographic feature of this ring is that the heads of the married couple are shown in profile rather than straight on as is usually the case.

Cf. Dumbarton Oaks, BZ.1961.3.

Provenance: private London, UK collection, acquired in Vienna, Austria, before 2000

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#189686

  • Condition: Some light surface wear as shown, but otherwise, intact, excellent, and wearable. Impressive remaining detail.

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October 25, 2024 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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