Code: 12334
This is a rare medieval gold posy ring, inscribed inside the band in Blackletter script:
"+en+buen+Foy+" is a derivative of the spelling in French for "In Good Faith". Posy rings deriving from poesy ('poetry') are inscriptions expressing affection, friendship and love. Rhyming or cryptic inscriptions were fashionable from around 1200-1500, and were written in Latin but more commonly in French, the language of courtly love. The medieval European elite spoke and understood these languages fairly widely. Such a ring would have been given as a mark of love or friendship, with the inscription hidden inside the band, known only to the giver and recipient. This ring displays wear and has been worn and loved for a lifetime!
OBJECT: Posy Ring
CULTURE: Medieval
DATE: c. 15th century AD
MATERIAL: Gold
RING SIZE: 6 1/4 (US) M 1/2 (UK)
SIZE: 18mm x 3mm
WEIGHT: 1.8 grams
PROVENANCE: Formerly in a private collection in Nottingham.
