Late fifteenth century silver ring with niello

A Venetian silver ring ca 1480-1500. The bezel is with engraved with the portrait of a young couple. The side of the ring is also engraved with the name of the owner , “ + IOHAN YIMENEGO “  The ring has at sometime been re sized and one lost half of the first letter of the surname. But the letter that is lost can only be a “Y” as the small part of the lette “Y” can bee still seen.

These rings are extremely rare and I have not seen another one with the name engraved and nielloed.

Niello as a decoration was extensively used in the Byzantine Empire from Antiquity to the 15 th century. Venice was The Byzantine Empire’s main trading partner and the close trading relationship channelled important cultural influences between the two trading partners.

Looking at the ring size of this “substantial “ ring, it must have belonged to a man. The ring size is “V” +1/2. The weight : 39 gram. Measurements of bezel : 22 x 17 mm

Similar rings can be found in the collection of the V&A / without the name engraved on the side/ and other major Museums.