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Description: | Cast copper alloy finger ring with engraved bezel of probable later medieval date (1400 ? 1550 AD). The hoop of the finger ring is sub-circular (D shaped) in plan and D shaped in cross section. The hoop flares (expands) at the shoulders of the ring to form the bezel. The bezel is sub octagonal in plan (rectangular with short diagonal corners) and irregular in cross section. The underside of the bezel is concave as the inner edge of the loop is circular in plan. The hoop of the ring measures 26.2mm length, 27.1mm width, and is 3.5mm thick. The bezel measures 15.2mm length, 12.5mm width, and is 4mm thick. The internal diameter of the ring is 20.2mm. The ring weighs 10.65 grams.
The external face of the octagonal bezel has a well formed and executed incised / engraved design. This design acts as a personal seal matrix and is therefore the design is engraved in reverse. The device is of an attired hart lodged. The design consists of an antlered stag or hart; with its legs curled beneath it and its head turned backwards so it looks over its shoulder. In the background are two stylised trees these are positioned behind the hart?s rump. The overall design is contained within an octagonal border formed from a series of incised lines. This creates a rope like pattern on the border when used. The shoulders of the bezel are plain; however, the external edges of the hoop of the ring are decorated with cast high relief rope design. This is formed from diagonal sub-rectangular lozenges. The inner face of the ring and bezel are plain and undecorated.
The finger ring has an even heavy mid-green coloured patina which covers all surfaces. There are several small areas of damage as a direct result of abrasion in the ploughsoil. This has resulted in the loss of some of the decoration on the hoop of the ring but has not affected the design on the bezel. A series of very similar finger rings can be seen in the Salisbury Museum Medieval Catalogue (part 1) pages 40-46, examples 16-19. Although none of these rings has the same bezel design (heraldic device) or similar rope like cast hoop as this example they are all broadly the same size and shape. John Cherry dates all of these rings to the 15th and early 16th centuries and it seems likely that a similar date can be assumed for this example. | Format: | text/html | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ | Publisher: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Rights holder: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Subjects: | archaeology | Temporal: | 1400
1550 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Peter Reavill | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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