#posy ring

[mioritic]

Posy ring with inscription "Loyalte ne peur" ("Loyalty not fear"), engraved with a hare, a hound, a hind, a fly, and plants.

England or France, 17th century.

V&A

[artschoolglasses]

Finger Ring, Posy Ring, mid 15th Century

From the London Museum

[goldsilverplatinumandcopper]

[heaveninawildflower]

Gold posy ring (British, 17thC-18thC) with inscription. Exterior chased with two hearts joined and flowers and foliage.

Inscription reads ‘True louers harts death only partes.’

© The Trustees of the British Museum.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license.

[thejewellerybox]

Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster's posy ring, c.1360-1400

Sapphire cabochon set in yellow gold, shoulders decoratively enhanced with finely carved flowers and foliage, and with ornate blackletter 'alas for fayte' inscription to the interior of the bezel. (1stdibs, £66,300)

'Reputedly gifted by John of Gaunt (1340-1399) to his mistress and subsequent wife, Katherine Swynford (1350-1403).

John of Gaunt was the third son of King Edward III. A member of the Order of the Garter and titled Earl of Lancaster, generous land grants meant that he was one of the richest men of his day. Originally appointed as governess to the children of John of Gaunt and his first wife, Blanche, Katherine subsequently entered in to a love affair with John. The affair lasted for many years and produced four children. The couple eventually married in Lincoln Cathedral following the death of John's second wife in 1394, thus legitimising their offspring.

The remains of Katherine and her daughter Joan were later interred there, although their tombs were damaged during the English Civil War. Illustrious descendants of the couple include George Washington, James Monroe, Alfred Lord Tenyson and HRH Elizabeth II.

The inscription 'alas for fayte' is otherwise unrecorded in rings of this period, and is likely to have been intended as an ironic comment on John and Katherine's illicit love affair. The inscription forms an amusing juxtaposition with the sapphire - a stone that was associated with the preservation of chastity.

The finely engraved foliate sprays, formerly enhanced with enamel, are indicative of early 15th century rings of this type. The unusually formed claw and cutdown setting is reminiscent of a turquoise-set ring from a similar period in the British Museum.' X

[eosvartauga]

Posy Ring 1500 - 1530 (made)

Gold posy ring, inscribed in Roman capitals in French, 'UNG TEMPS VIANDRA' separated by a flower and scrolling foliage in relief around the outer hoop and '+MON DESIR ME VAILLE' separated by stars engraved on the inner hoop. The outer hoop may originally have been enamelled.

Posy rings, the name deriving from poesy ('poetry'), are rings with inscriptions that express 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. Both these languages were spoken and understood fairly widely by the elite in medieval Europe. The repetition of particular inscriptions suggest that goldsmiths had reference books of stock phrases; the more unusual inscriptions perhaps indicate a client's individual request.

[ltwilliammowett]

A 17th century sailor's posy ring (c) Laelius Antiques

The name of Posy (Posie, Poesy) comes from the French Poésie. They became popular in England and France during the 16th century through the 17th century. Posy rings were given as a secret token of friendship, protection (often religious) or love. 

Here we a ship with three masts is engraved on the heart, and inside of the ring, the inscription reads 'Love, Live Happy'. On the back of the heart, there are initials 'P.D'. 

[the-picture-of-eve]

posy ring made in London by Henry Bance between 1706 and 1721

The British Museum