 | Intaglio of rock crystal: massive, oval, convex on one side, flat on the other. On the flat surface is engraved the Crucifixion between the Virgin and St John; Christ has the cruciferous nimbus and wears a loin-cloth, his head is inclined; cross is plain, without titulus, serpent coiled round its foot; Virgin and St John stand bending forward, raising their mantles to their faces in attitudes of grief; above cross are two medallions containing busts of the sun and moon holding torches, former radiate and wearing chlamys, latter as female figure in mantle with head surmounted by crescent; in modern metal mount; each side of crystal with cylindrical drill-hole. Culture/period : Carolingian Date 846-869 (?)
Gold memento-mori fede-ring. This large ring, either intended as a thumb-ring or to be worn over a glove on the finger, is made of gold, enamelled and set with gemstones. The bezel is in the form of a book, placed horizontally, the upper cover being set with four table-cut gemstones in plain gold collets: a diamond (lower right), a ruby (upper right), an emerald (lower left) and a sapphire, or blue spinel (upper left); in high relief between the gemstones, in the centre, is a white-enamelled skull with a green-enamelled toad above and another below, and two snakes issuing from the skull to left and right. Date 1526-1575
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