15th Century Medieval Silver Iconographic Ring Decorated With Two Standing Saints

A prayer to wear!

Silver or gold 'iconographic' rings engraved with figures of saints were particularly common in the late 14th, 15th, and early 16th centuries and appear to have been a uniquely British type. Religious imagery was often combined with romantic inscriptions, suggesting that they could sometimes serve as love gifts or wedding bands. They often depict the most venerated saints of the Middle Ages: Saint Christopher, Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret, Saint Barbara, Saint John the Baptist. The choice of saint was probably dictated by local allegiances, membership in brotherhoods dedicated to a saint, or the desire to invoke their aid in a particular matter. We have not yet identified the saints featured on the panels of this ridged bezel.

Sandra Hindman of Les Enlimures has a very interesting essay and podcast on these types of rings, highlighting their uniqueness as wearable prayers, more personal and intimate than other devotional objects like Books of Hours, from which they draw close inspiration. With these rings, one could carry their Book of Hours in their hand with similar images. In this essay, she explores how these rings were inspired by the illustrations in English Books of Hours, thus offering their wearers access to prayers worn on the body. Touched and rubbed repeatedly by their wearers, who then manipulated them by rotating them on the finger and taking them on and off to admire the inscriptions, these rings enrich our understanding of the culture of prayer, its rites and practices in the late Middle Ages. Link to the essay to learn more: https://www.lesenluminures.com/usr/documents/press/download_url/117/sandra-hindman-medieval-iconographic-rings.pdf

Origin: British Isles Remains of gilding
Inner dimension of the ring: 18 mm.