Stunning 11th C. Persian Islamic Gold & Garnet Ring

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Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art...

By Artemis Gallery

Mar 24, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-03-24 10:00:00 2022-03-24 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-ethnographic-fine-art-9057
Museum-worthy examples of classical antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Viking, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Near East, Persian Empire, Islamic Culture, ca. 11th to 12th century CE. This is a gorgeous gold ring with delicate filigree surrounding a garnet cabochon set in the face. The 82.75% (equivalent to 19K+) gold spiraling filigree and granulated embellishments are executed with great skill- the band widens at the shoulders to form a face for the garnet stone. The cabochon is ovoid and highly polished - the filigree clinging around the peripheries, securing the gemstone in place. A careful examination shows that probably a gold leaf was applied to a cast core. This technique is very difficult, requiring the perfect workmanship involving casting, repousse, granulation, and filigree making, attesting to the mastery of this goldsmith. This stunning ring would have been undoubtedly a treasured possession, and an impressive display of wealth and status. Size: 0.9" L x 0.72" Diameter (2.3 cm x 1.8 cm); garnet cabochon: 0.4" L x 0.3" W (1 cm x 0.8 cm); band opening: 0.65" Diameter (1.7 cm); US ring size: 4.5; gold quality: 82.75% (equivalent to 19K+); weight: 2.8 grams
  
  Garnets get their name for the Latin word "granatus," meaning "seed-like" - a likely allusion to the similarities in appearance of small red garnets and pomegranate seeds. In antiquity, garnets were popular gemstones, considered just as beautiful as rubies. The very earliest descriptions of garnet date to Roman times; Pliny the Elder (23/24 to 79 CE) referred to the dark-red variety as carbunculus alabandicus, the fire-stone from the city of Alabanda (modern Turkey), an important market place for gemstones found in Asia during Pliny's time.
  
  Filigree and granulation are among the oldest goldsmithing techniques. The techniques involved include twisting silver or in this case gold wires and soldering incredibly tiny beads comprised of the same precious metal onto the surface of the piece of jewelry. This very complicated technique requires painstaking attention to detail that relatively few jewelers have ever mastered. Ancient civilizations such as the Mesopotamians, Greeks, and Etruscans developed the methodology; filigreed and granulated jewelry continued to be popular in the Roman empire, and was also sought after by the Slavs, Anglo-Saxons, and Vikings. The techniques and styles remained popular throughout the Middle Ages, and during the early centuries of the emerging Islamic culture, craftsmen continued the classic designs and techniques of the Sasanian, Roman, and Byzantine traditions.
  
  For a similar example of this style, please see the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art's website, object number: 32.058 and for more information please reference "Islamic Jewelry in the Metropolitan Museum," Marilyn Jenkins and Manuel Keene, New York, 1983, pp. 17-18 and pp. 37-88.
  
  Provenance: private New York, USA collection; ex-private European collection, acquired in 1992
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
  
  Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
  
  #170809

  Condition

  Garnet stone is intact. Losses to filigree around garnet setting and hairline tear to gold in this area. Indentations to filigree and nicks to interior of band. Softening and rubbing to high pointed areas of ring band. Gold is professionally cleaned. Ring is wearable.
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