Description
Signet rings were used for impressing one's personal mark, like a signature, on the wax seal applied to a letter or other document. The signet on this ring depicts a shield with a rampant lion with a flute in its mouth. Above the shield are the initials S K. The sides of the ring are engraved with images of a man and a woman (probably husband and wife) in secular dress of the time.











Signet Ring
Conservation
Date | Description | Narrative |
---|---|---|
8/22/1979 | Examination | examined for condition |
6/12/1984 | Treatment | other |
Exhibitions
- Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1979-1980.
- Objects of Adornment: Five Thousand Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. 1984-1987.
- Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery and the Zucker Family Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1987.
Provenance
Melvin Gutman Collection Sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, May 15, 1970, Part V, lot 121; Mrs. Ruth Blumka, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1979, by purchase.
Inscriptions
[Transcription] S K
Credit
Museum purchase, 1979
Creator
- German (Jeweler)
Period
ca. 1500 (Renaissance)Accession Number
57.2050Measurements
1/2 x 15/16 x 1 1/16 in. (1.2 x 2.5 x 2.6 cm)Geographies
- Germany (Place of Origin)