Ring with Inlays
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Rings
The earliest Egyptian rings were purely decorative, but later rings came to carry significance.
By the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom, they were frequently inscribed with the name of a god, a king, or the owner. The most popular type was made of faience and bore the name of the reigning monarch. Archaeologists have discovered thousands of these simple, mold-made rings; they were probably distributed as mementos at religious or state celebrations. Other rings feature protective symbols, including the wedjat-eye. Wealthy members of Eighteenth Dynasty society often wore rings made of inlaid glass or semiprecious stones.
Caption
Ring with Inlays, ca. 1479–1292 B.C.E.. Electrum, glass, 1 3/8 x 13/16 x 1/2 in. (3.6 x 2 x 1.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.719E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Title
Ring with Inlays
Date
ca. 1479–1292 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Reportedly from: Thebes, Egypt
Medium
Electrum, glass
Classification
Dimensions
1 3/8 x 13/16 x 1/2 in. (3.6 x 2 x 1.3 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.719E
Frequent Art Questions
Tell me more.
I think you are the first visitor to ask about this ring! As you can see, the ancient Egyptians wore jewelry much like the jewelry that people still wear today. The "gems" in this one are made of glass, ancient costume jewelry!The metal you see is kind of an interesting material though. Referred to as electrum, it is made of a mixture of silver and gold. Like today, these two metals were considered precious by many ancient cultures valued the two mixed together which could occur naturally or be artificially created.It’s beautiful. It struck me that it looks so much like today’s jewelry"Nothing new under the sun," or so they say. You'll see jewelry throughout the ancient Egyptian galleries and you can even see people wearing it in sculptures and reliefs.
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