Renaissance gold Fede ring

A Renaissance gold Fede ring.

Western Europe, 16th / 17th century.

Ring size is an U UK / 10 US.

For similar examples see; 'Rings, The Alice and Louis Koch Collection', items no. 728, 729, 730 and 732.

Another example catalogued as British can be found in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Accession Number: L.2015.72.51.

This gold Fede ring takes its name from the Italian word for faith or trust with the two clasped hands symbolizing an attachment that usually led to marriage. The motif of the two clasped hands on the bezel was already in use in ancient Rome. It was a symbol of pledging of vows, which derives from the Roman 'dextarum iunctio' (right hand joined).