Frühmittelalter Bronze Ring mit gravierter Lünette - 21 mm (Ohne mindestpreis)

"Medieval Byzantine Bronze Ring with Engraved Bezel

Culture / Period: Early Medieval, Byzantine
Date / Period: 800 - 1100 A.D.
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: Diameter: 21 mm
Condition: Good condition

No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 56

The current owner purchased this Medieval Byzantine bronze ring with engraved bezel from a private collector, N.N., in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The previous owner, a private collector from Tilburg, stated that the object had been in his collection since an unknown date. According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1980s. No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This bronze ring belongs to the Byzantine tradition of personal adornment and small devotional objects from the Early Medieval period. Rings of this type were worn as jewellery, but they could also serve as markers of identity, status, faith, or personal protection. The engraved bezel would have carried a visual motif, symbol, or design that gave the object individual meaning for its owner.

Between the 9th and 11th centuries A.D., the Byzantine Empire remained a major cultural and artistic centre linking the eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans, Anatolia, and the wider medieval world. Small bronze rings were widely accessible objects and were used by different levels of society. Unlike gold or silver examples associated with higher-status ownership, bronze rings reflect the broader material culture of daily life and personal devotion.

The production of such rings was part of an organised craft tradition. They were cast in bronze and then finished by cutting, smoothing, and engraving the bezel. The engraved surface could be decorative, symbolic, religious, or personal in character, depending on the original design. Similar rings circulated across Byzantine territories and neighbouring regions through trade, pilgrimage, military movement, and local exchange.

This piece forms a tangible connection to the medieval Byzantine world, where objects of this kind were part of personal appearance, belief, and everyday life. It provides a direct and physical link to the people who once wore such rings as meaningful and practical personal possessions.