Unusual old satyr or devil ring

Hi everyone!

I'm completely stumped by this satyr or devil ring I recently purchased, as was the seller.

I understand it to be a British metal detecting find but have no idea how old it is, nor have I been able to find anything similar online.

The metalwork on the face is quite delicate, yet the overall construction is fairly crude. The odd "giraffe pattern" on the band is unlike anything I've seen before.

I don't suppose it has any great value but I'd love to find out a bit more about it. Could it be Roman? Medieval?

It does shine gold where there are a couple of little scratches but I don't know what metal it is - it looks more like copper at first glance.

Any suggestions much appreciated.

Dale.

 

I'd call that snakeskin patterned. A reference to the snake in the garden of Eden, hm? He's Lucifer with those horns. I wonder if it was some Satanic thing.

 

He looks much to friendly to be Satanic, and there are no other Satanic symbols.
Satyrs also have goat's horns and ears, as do fauns.
Fauns are nature spirits, so reptile skin would not be strange. There are several representations in art of fauns with snakes.
The reptile skin looks a bit like crazy paving.

 

Thanks for the replies, I like the suggestion of the snake/reptile significance of the pattern on the band.

 

Are you sure those are horns? Can it be a medusa?

 

I can only see two horns, and they look ribbed, like goat horns. So I don't think it's a medusa. The face is annoyingly familiar, too. Presumably, your seller didn't declare it: that's a pity, as the Portable Antiquities people would have been able to id it. Might still be worth contacting them.

 

A slightly clearer picture of the face. There are two ribbed horns with a tuft of hair in between. There also appears to be the remnants of a beard. The ears are long and pointed - it does look like a satyr/faun/Pan.

Good call on the portable antiquities, I may give them a try.

 

He's like a gargoyle, isn't he. I think the PAS are well worth a shot. Looks bronze to me.

Maybe Stephen Moffatt lost him.

 

I'm thinking possibly Arts and Crafts period. They loved copper and symbolism, and that slightly rustic look.
In 1887 Stéphane Mallarmé published his "L'après-midi d'un faune", after which Claude Debussy composed the famous "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune" and shot to fame.
The Ballets Russes performed the ballet to Debussy's music in 1912, with the amazing Vaslav Nijinsky as faun. Look at his arms and legs, not necessarily reptilian, but still..: