Osječki zbornik, Vol. Vol. 29 No. xx, 2009.
Review article
14th to 17th century finger-rings and gems in the Museum of Slavonia Osijek
Mladen Radić
; Museum of Slavonia Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
The jewellery collection of the Archaelogical Section
– The Movement of the Peoples and the Middle Ages
Subsection has been enriched after its revision with seventeen
new pieces of mediaeval and Turkish rings i.e. gems.
A part of the rings have been confirmed of being used for
sealing (catalogue nr. 1, 2, 4, 6, 13, 14, 15, 16) whereas for
the others this purpose could only be assumed (catalogue
nr. 8 to 12) because these are rings for general population.
Apart from the rings with Arabic inscriptions of mainly religious
content (catalogue nr. 12 to 15), only one sample of
a mediaeval ring carries an inscription (catalogue nr. 1, in
Cyrillics ).
Regardless of the fact that most pieces have coats of
arms engraved, i.e. heraldic devices, the rings owners were
impossible to determine.
Despite the fact that these are typologically mainly common
rings for general population, some samples could be
listed among luxurious pieces (catalogue nr. 4,6).
A find site is frequently unreliable because the finds
derive from donations and repurchases but the bronze ring
find from Črnkovci indicates a mediaeval grave site, i.e. a
church.
Typological analysis allows for the more exact site determination
of some samples i.e. the area of manufacturing
(catalogue nr. 2, 4, 6 - Hungary), whereas the site for the
remaining majority could only be assumed (catalogue nr. 1
- Serbia; catalogue nr. 8-B and H; catalogue nr. 13 -17 - the
wider area of the Ottoman Empire).
The dating is mainly general and analogy-based from
relatively scarce documents.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
95595
URI
Publication date:
20.5.2010.
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