Featured need help identifying unknown silver ring

Discussion in 'Jewelry' started by Aleksandar Ristic, Dec 9, 2015.

  1. Elysia

    Elysia New Member

    Interesting ring that could hold a lot of history. I'm guessing it is a personal crest, so with a fair amount of luck, it could be possible to trace down the original owner.
    I divided your ring into numbered sections to make it a bit easier to discuss it.
    [​IMG]
    1: This is a depiction of Saint Michael. Notice the sword he is wielding in his right hand, the scales to weigh souls i his left, and the slain devil at his feet (pointy tail curling up in the lower left corner).
    2: Coat of arms of the city of L'Aquilla
    3: Angel leading a child.
    4: Two crosses or Fleur de lis separated by a feather or a quill.
    5: Panel of Fleur de lis or crosses.
    6: Flag of the Franciscan order. Also the flag of the kingdom of jerusalem and of Georgia
    7: Grimaldi family crest. Sometimes used as a symbol of Monaco.
    8: Religious person, probably a saint, with halo and staff. Whatever is in the left hand could be a clue to identity.

    The ring has a lot of religious symbols, so it would be natural to think it once belonged to someone related to the church.
    L'Aquilla was an important city for the Franciscan order in the 14th and 15th century. This might explain the prescence of the L'Aquilla coat of arms together with the Franciscan flag and other religious symbols.
     
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  2. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    a personal crest....with 8 sections.......that's wild !
     
  3. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

    If it's an old family, it's possible. The one for the British royal family was worse until someone simplified it.
     
  4. Mill Cove Treasures

    Mill Cove Treasures Well-Known Member

    You could contact the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies in the UK. There is a fee to use this service but it was worthwhile when I used it. The identification they provided more than doubled the auction estimate and, the final price of a set that I sold through Christie's. The fee was around $60, the added profit was over $2000.
     
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  5. Aleksandar Ristic

    Aleksandar Ristic New Member

    Wow, thats very impressive! I was hoping that someone well informed will see this post, thank you very much for your help, I can't wait to tell my friend that we're making progress :)
     
  6. moreotherstuff

    moreotherstuff Izorizent


    Well that just relocates everything. Very interesting.
     
  7. Elysia

    Elysia New Member

    I have been looking at this a bit more (yes, I find it an interesting item).
    Panel 3 is most probably a depiction of the archangel Raphael leading Tobias.
    The Fleur de lis in panel 5 was the coat of arms of the kingdom of Naples that L'Aquila was a part of for centuries. A combination of Fleur de lis and the cross of Jerusalem like in panel 5 and 6 was used as a coat of arms by Charles I Anjou, king of Naples 1285-1309, and later by his descendants.

    I am pretty certain this ring once belonged to a somewhat influential person in the catholic church, and used to put seals on documents. It was, and is, customary for bishops to include patron saints in their coat of arms, and in this ring we have the two archangels Michael and Raphael. The coat of arms of L'Aquila likely puts the owner of the ring in this city.
    What the panels 4 and 8 show I have not been able to dig up. It would be interesting to know if there is any more detail visible on the person in panel 8.

    The panels 5, 6 and 7 could refer to the ancestry of the rings owner, and could indicate a connection to the two powerful families Anjou and Grimaldi.
     
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  8. Figtree3

    Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

    Elysia, This is an interesting analysis. Sharing of research is one of the reasons that I very much enjoy this forum.
     
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