English, 15th century

inscribed across four panels divided by crosses, canz de+ par tir+ [sans de partir]

H. Ulreich Juwelier, Frankfurt, 1964

Overall the condition of the ring is good. There is wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age, with dirt particularly in the crevices. There are minor scratches throughout consistent with age and handling, in particular to the interior. There is a deeper horizonal scratch and two small vertical dents to the interior. There are four original gold inserts to the interior and there are very slight fissures at these points. The inscription panels were made separately and inserted. The ring would once have been enamelled but the enamelling is now lost.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Only two other rings of this type are currently known. Like the present ring, the so-called Kirkham ring in the British Museum (tracking no. 2005T99) and one from the Chalcis hoard in the Ashmolean Museum (inv. no. WA1899.CDEF.F390) are distinguished by the use of separate inscribed panels inserted into a ring frame and secured by pegs to the inner hoop.

The example in Oxford was found in 1840 in the Castle of Chalcis on the Greek island of Euboea, a former Venetian colony. It was hidden along with other treasures to save it from capture by the Turks in 1470. Scarisbrick and Henig (op.cit.) note that "the castle at Chalcis was often compared to King Arthur's Court at Avalon. This particular ring, in the form of a knight's belt, evokes images of the splendid tournaments held in the castle, an essential display of the chivalric culture of the time." Given the similarity to the Chalcis ring and the inclusion of panels depicting the cross formée pattée, the present ring may be connected to the Knights of St John, an order active in Greece and the Mediterrean in the 15th century which employed the same cross as their emblem.

RELATED LITERATURE
O.M. Dalton, 'Medieval personal ornaments from Chalcis in the British and Ashmolean Museums', Archaeologia, LXII, 1911; J. Evans, English Posies and Posy Rings, 1931; D. Scarisbrick and M. Henig, Finger Rings, cat. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2003, p. 84; D. Scarisbrick, Rings. Jewelry of power, love and loyalty, 2007, pp. 67-68, nos. 88 and 91.