Finger Ring
Unknown Artist
7th century
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
Overall: 1 1/8 x 7/8 x 3/16 in. (2.8 x 2.3 x 0.4 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Copper alloy
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.192.231
Art Historical Context
This delicate finger ring, crafted in the 7th by an unknown Frankish artisan, a glimpse into the daily lives of people during the Merovingian period—the early medieval era when the Franks ruled much of what is now France and Germany. Made from copper alloy, a durable and accessible metal, it reflects the practical metalworking traditions blending Roman influences with Germanic craftsmanship. At just over inch in diameter, its size (1 1/8 x 7/8 x 3/16 in.) suggests was worn for personal adornment, perhaps signifying status, betrothal, or simply style among the Frankish elite or emerging nobilit...