Rings

A TOKEN OF LIFELONG COMMITMENT

Wide gold band with D-section, plain on the exterior and engraved on the interior in italic script the English motto: “Let love enduer” (“let love endure”). The ring shows signs of wear through age and remains in good, wearable condition.

 

Posy rings derive their name from the term poésie, or poetry. These rings bear inscribed mottoes either in prose or verse. From the fifteenth century onward, such rings were known to be exchanged between lovers, friends and family members expressing affection, friendship, faith, or even New Year wishes. Early examples feature inscriptions engraved on the exterior of the band, while later examples—such as the present ring—conceal their mottoes inside the hoop with their personal messages known only to the giver and recipient. Posy rings are mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare (1564–1616), including Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice. They enjoyed enduring popularity throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, particularly as betrothal and wedding rings.

 

The motto “Let love enduer” is adapted from Psalm 136, which praises God in the refrain “his love endures forever.” Faith, belief, and love were inextricably linked in early modern concepts of marriage, and such inscriptions expressed hopes for a successful and enduring union. The present ring was therefore likely given as a wedding ring. Joan Evans records related mottos in her compendium on posies and posy rings (1931, p. 66), including “Let love increase” and “Let love abide till death divide,” both alluding to marriage vows and the ideal of lifelong commitment. The message of the present ring similarly calls for love between giver and recipient to remain loyal and constant. The wide band and italic script are characteristic of late seventeenth- and eighteenth-century examples; for comparisons see Scarisbrick 2021, nos. 37, 38, 112, 114.

 

For a history of posy rings with extensive examples ranging from the medieval to the eighteenth century, see Scarisbrick 2021; for further studies on posies, see A Garland of Love: A Collection of Posy-Ring Mottoes, London, 1907; Dalton 1912, pp. 174 ff.; Evans 1931; Oman 1974, pp. 39 ff.; Taylor and Scarisbrick 1978; Scarisbrick 2007, pp. 74 ff. See also for an analysis of posies found on rings, ring brooches, and seals: Malcolm Jones, “The Beautiful Game: Courtly Love Posies in Anglo Norman Inscribed Jewellery and Seals,” in Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 2024, 177:1, pp. 101-130.