Finger Ring
Unknown Artist
7th century
Medium
Silver, garnet or glass paste cabochon
Dimensions
Overall: 7/8 x 13/16 x 1/2 in. (2.3 x 2.1 x 1.2 cm) bezel: 3/8 x 1/4 x 3/16 in. (0.9 x 0.7 x 0.4 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.192.194
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 7th-century Frank finger ring, crafted from silver with a striking garnet or glass paste cabon, exemplifies the refined metalwork of early medieval Europe. Measuring just 7/8 x 13/16 x 1/2 inches overall, its petite bezel (3/8 x 1/4 x 3/16 inches) highlights the jeweler's skill in setting the smooth, rounded cabochon—a technique that maximized the stone's deep color and luster without faceting, a hallmark of pre-Romanesque craftsmanship. Hailing from the Merovingian Frankish culture, which dominated much of Gaul (modern France and Germany) during the 7th century, this ring like...