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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Jewelry & Gems / A scarce 17th century silver-mounted amuletic toadstone ring...
A scarce 17th century silver-mounted amuletic toadstone ring, set with a smooth, domed brown toadstone within a rounded silver bezel, the collet worked with a scalloped edge and the shoulders embellished with small raised decorative bosses, size T 1/2, 4.4 grams, presented in an associated Georgian burgundy leather-covered ring box References and Comparisons: See the amulet-ring in the British Museum, London, registration no. AF.1026, catalogued as sixteenth century A further toadstone ring is cited in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, accession no. WA1897.CDEF.F810. Historical note: “Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head” — William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act II, scene i, circa 1599. Text of the play, Folger Shakespeare Library Footnote: Toadstones were prized as protective amulets, particularly against poison. Traditionally believed to originate within the heads of toads, they were credited with the ability to sweat, change colour or become warm in the presence of poisonous substances. Applied to bites and stings, they were thought to draw venom from a wound. Worn as talismans, they were also believed to bring good fortune and ward off evil. The folklore surrounding these objects extended to their supposed internal medicinal use, with early accounts recommending that a toadstone be swallowed to cleanse the bowels, then recovered for reuse. Their use in European amuletic jewellery continued into the eighteenth century. The objects commonly mounted under this name were fossilised fish teeth, traditionally identified as those of Lepidotes, whose naturally rounded, button-like crowns lent themselves to use in jewellery. The present ring belongs to this tradition of combining personal adornment with a belief in the protective properties of natural objects
Estimate:$2,647.69
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Estimate:
$2,647.69
OCT 27 | 4:00 PM
OCT 23 | 8:00 AM
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