Signet Ring of John, Imperial Spatharios
Unknown Artist
10th century
Medium
Gold, niello
Dimensions
Overall: 11/16 × 7/8 × 15/16 in., 1.2oz. (1.7 × 2.2 × 2.4 cm, 34.023g) Bezel: 11/16 × 3/4 × 3/16 in. (1.7 × 1.9 × 0.4 cm) Inside circumference: 2 1/8 in. (5.3 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Gold
Culture
Byzantine
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Guy and Valerie Tempest Megargee, 1992
Accession Number
1992.239
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 10th-century Byzantine signet ring belonged to John, an Imperial Spath—a prestigious title denoting a high-ranking member of the emperor's bodyguard, responsible for bearing the imperial sword. Crafted during the height of the Byzantine Empire's golden age under the Macedonian dynasty, such rings were essential tools of authority, used to seal official documents with a personal emblem, blending practicality with symbols of power and loyalty. Made of gleaming gold with intricate niello inlays—a technique where a black metallic alloy is fused into fine engravings for striking con...