| 85 4123 An early Byzantine gold ring with architectural model on ring plate, 6th - 8th century A.D. Evenly wide, round-bar ring shank with a diameter of 3.5 mm, composed of twelve pairs of intertwined gold wires soldered lengthwise. Hollow on the inside. The delicate filigree of the ring shank lends the surface a lively structure. The ring plate has a base made from an almond-shaped sheet of gold, to the tips of which the ring band, slightly flattened at the ends, is soldered on the top. In the centre of the ring plate is an architectural model of a round building with six surrounding arches and a conical roof. At the bottom is a „parapet“ made of a profiled strip of sheet metal, continuously decorated with six granules within the central groove. Behind this are arches made of two U-shaped wires laid one on top of the other, the inner one smooth, the outer one a notched wire, which enlivens the internal structure of the columns with arches. Supported by columns and arches, the six-facetted roof tapers conically upwards, the top of which is framed by a notched wire, above which is a pyramid of granules. On the roof, six notched wires running downwards in a star shape, each terminated by a granule in front of the eaves. Minor incrustations and rubbing, otherwise intact. Ring size approx. 55, inner diameter 18 mm. Height 3 cm. Width 2.5 cm. Weight 4.53 g. An exceptionally beautiful and rare example of a magnificent early Byzantine ring. Cf. a similar, less elaborately crafted example in the Louvre, Paris (Bj 1164). Provenance: From private ownership in Munich, acquired at the beginning of the millennium from a southern German art dealer. 328231 I - € 6.000
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