Jewelry

A SPLENDID RENAISSANCE SIGNET IN VERRE ÉGLOMISÉ 

Heavy gold ring with round cross section, widening toward the shoulders and merging into a circular bezel set with a verre églomisé intaglio of a heraldic device accompanied by the initials ‘IP ZR’ engraved in reverse. The coat of arms comprises a shield with a pale in sable and argent, charged at the center with a necklace and pendant, or perhaps a decade rosary. Acanthus foliage forms the mantling surmounted by a closed helmet with torse and crest with a male half figure wearing a hat with fluttering ribbons, flanked by a horn on either side. The colored foils of the verre églomisé are slightly faded, and the ring shows signs of wear through age. It remains in good, wearable condition.

Literature:

The present ring belongs to a distinctive group of signets set with verre églomisé foiled-crystal seals, which emerged in the second half of the sixteenth century as a fashionable alternative to engraved metal and gemstone signets and remained popular in the seventeenth century. Set in substantial gold with an elaborate coat of arms and the reversed initials “IP ZR,” the ring served both as an personal identity marker and a display of status. When pressed into warm sealing wax, the reversed carving appeared the correct way around, authenticating personal correspondence and legal documents such as wills, deeds, and records of property. Such rings bearing heraldic or occasionally amorous motifs were worn by men of high social standing, including members of the nobility, wealthy merchants, and high-ranking clergy. Identifying the country, family, or owner depends on deciphering the coat of arms, a difficult and rarely conclusive undertaking. Further research may yet reveal the identity of the present ring’s owner.

The richly colored seal was produced through a labor-intensive and costly technique. An intaglio, usually carved from rock crystal and occasionally chalcedony, was painted on the reverse and backed with gold and colored metal foils. These rings were especially fashionable in Central Europe, particularly in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark, but were also worn in the Netherlands and England. Contemporary portraits often reveal their distinctive appearance, with brightly colored heraldic devices characteristic of verre églomisé.

For comparable rings with verre églomisé intaglios dating from c. 1550 to 1620, see examples in the Alice and Louis Koch Collection, Swiss National Museum, Zurich (Chadour 1994, vol. 1, nos. 657–660, with further parallels); Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Oman 1974, pls. 46A–F and 47A–E; Church 2011, pp. 48–49, figs. 55–56; inv. no. 817-1871); British Museum, London (inv. nos. 1982,0701.3 and WB 198; Dalton 1912, nos. 318–327); Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Scarisbrick and Henig 2003, p. 62, pl. 22, 2); the Hashimoto Collection, National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo (Scarisbrick 2004, nos. 163–164); Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim (Battke 1953, no. 78); and Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen (Lindahl 2003, nos. 379–381).

R-1073