Finger Ring
Unknown Artist
500–550
Medium
Gold, garnet, mother-of-pearl
Dimensions
Overall: 1 x 13/16 x 5/8 in. (2.5 x 2.1 x 1.6 cm) bezel: 5/8 x 1/4 in. (1.6 x 0.6 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Gold
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.192.228
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Frankish finger ring, around 500–550 CE, exemplifies the masterful metalworking of the early Merovingian period. Made from gleaming gold with inlays of vibrant garnet and iridescent mother-of-l, its petite form—measuring just 1 x 13/16 x 5/8 inches overall—fits snugly on a finger. bezel, a raised oval platform (5/8 x 1/4 inches), likely held a gem or intaglio for sealing documents or as a personal emblem, highlighting the blend of utility and luxury in everyday adornment. In the turbulent world of post-Roman Gaul, the Franks rose as a dominant force under kings like Clovis I, a...