Six Roman to Post-Medieval Copper Alloy Rings

Mediterranean and Europe, Roman, Byzantine, Medieval and Post-Medieval English. A group of six finger rings spanning some fifteen centuries of adornment, four of brass and two of leaded copper alloy. The largest, a medieval example, carries a raised ovoid bezel on a heavy tapering hoop. Beside it sits a Post-Medieval English ring massed with cast florets over reeded shoulders, a form associated with the Great Plague of London. A slender band retains a domed blue glass bezel in its collet, while a small ring bears a chevron-engraved plaque and another a plain circular signet face. The last, a compact hoop with a convex square bezel, belongs to the Roman type traditionally called a "prostitute's" ring. Three of the group are likely Byzantine. Surfaces range from warm brown to green patination. The floral ring belongs to a class of cast brass rings recovered in quantity from London sites and long linked in collecting tradition to the Great Plague of 1665 to 1666. Popular accounts hold that such rings were placed on children as prophylactics against contagion, and that numbers of them surfaced in plague pits, a grim demonstration that the amulet failed its wearer. The Roman ring type nicknamed a "prostitute's" ring takes its name from an old numismatic and antiquarian convention rather than any Roman source; the convex square bezels of such rings were more often engraved with a device for sealing, and the label is best treated as collector shorthand. Please note that these rings contain levels of lead and are not recommended for wear. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 204799

Estimate:$300

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