Late Byzantine / Balkan Gold Signet Ring | Engraved Double-Headed Eagle

Southeastern Europe, Late Byzantine or Medieval Balkan. A small signet ring of very high-purity gold, tested at 23.6 karats, possibly made for a child. The flat band widens into a round bezel with a raised border, engraved with a double-headed eagle with wings spread. The bird is cut in quick, confident strokes, with angular feathers fanning to either side and two heads turned away from each other above a narrow central body. In this period and region, the double-headed eagle signaled rank and allegiance. A ring of this size may have been made for a young member of a family that used the emblem, perhaps as a token of lineage or protection. The double-headed eagle is closely tied to the last centuries of Byzantium. Under the Palaiologan emperors (1259 to 1453) it appeared on textiles, ceremonial dress, and court regalia, and it became a common emblem of imperial and princely authority. Neighboring Orthodox rulers took up the motif, most notably the Serbian Nemanjic dynasty, and it later passed into the heraldry of the post-Byzantine Balkans and Muscovite Russia. On a personal ring, the eagle may reflect courtly or aristocratic ties, a family's claim to that heritage, or simply its popularity as a sign of status and divine protection across the Orthodox world. Item # 205338

Estimate:£489.81

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