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Description: | Early Medieval finger ring, gold, decorated with granulation, filigree and with enamel inlay. The ring is based on a strip of sheet gold, expanded to form the bezel, on the underside of which is a stepped, transverse, joint. The hoop has a keeled (flattened triangular) section but towards the bezel it smoothly changes to a flattened 'D'. On the bezel are five areas of cloisonné enamel, a circular panel containing a cross-like motif, made up of a central field filled with pale yellow enamel around which are four petal-shaped fields filled with white enamel. The area between these four fields contains dark blue enamel and the whole area is surrounded by a ring of white. These fields are defined by 0.2mm wide walls forming the cloisonné cells and the enamel panel is mounted in a cylindrical collet, the upper edge of which is in-turned to secure the setting. Around the circular setting is a ring of 1.2mm diameter granulated beads fused to the back-plate. To each side of the circular field is a triangular panel which also contains cloisonné enamel in the form of a tongue-shaped cell descending from one edge. This contains white enamel and it appears that the rest of the cell was originally filled with dark blue. The granulation extends down the sides of the two triangular panels and beyond them is a knot-like motif executed in granulation and filigree. These consist of two strands of twisted (cabled) filigree wire which converge, meeting at a small transverse bar below which they diverge and are scrolled around granulated pellets. There is are further pellets between the scrolls from which descend filigree loops filled with white enamel. Around the circular panel are further traces of what might be white enamel although it is difficult to see how this would have been secured.Diameter 21.9 x 22.7mm, Width of bezel, 10.0mm, Height of bezel 2.5mm, Hoop section 3.1mm wide x 0.9mm thick. Mass 5.10g.This ring belongs in a small group of finely executed Early Medieval objects, parallels may be drawn with the finger ring from the Uttlesford District, Essex (Treasure Annual Report 2008, 195; LON-3478C7) which shares the use of enamel, granulation with filigree extending over the shoulders. Further parallels may be drawn with the rings from Warwick (TAR 2001, no. 46; PAS-D681D8) and Lytchett Matravers, Dorset (TAR 2003, no. 110). This decorative scheme was also used on the Minster Lovell Jewel (Hinton, 2008, 30-32). A date in the later ninth or tenth century seems probable. While Continental parallels have been suggested for these rings an Anglo-Saxon origin seems possible and is supported by this find.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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