The tale of the mysterious ring

Author: Martina Exnerová

Love can take many forms. The one that some of us currently commemorate on Valentine's Day, but also one whose legacy can last for ages. 

A ring is a powerful symbol that penetrates the history of mankind and beautiful literature. It can be an expression of love, devotion, friendship, memories, as well as power and social status. It can also be the pure joy of a beautiful arts and crafts object or a personal or fashion accessory. 

Let's take a look at the story of a particular ring that has "reappeared" after more than 400 years. It all started with the exploration of the mythical Rosenberg tomb (the house of Rosenberg was a prominent noble Bohemian family) in the monastery in Vyšší Brod (Bohemia – today Czechia), which was said to contain the so-called Rosenberg gold, a treasure of unprecedented value. The exploration itself took place on the occasion of various building repairs of the monastery church. It was carried out without opening the walled area, using only drilling, probes and camera technology. None of the artefacts found were recovered, only carefully documented. The first exploration was carried out in 2009 and it was confirmed that it was a Rosenberg tomb with a tin sarcophagus of the last Rosenberg Peter Vok and an oak coffin of his wife Catherine of Ludanice. Another survey was carried out in 2011 with significantly better camera technology. At that time, a remarkable discovery was made of an object on the lid of Peter's sarcophagus - a gold ring, which had not been proven to be there during the previous survey. Based on the images of the area and the location of the deteriorating coffin of Mrs. Catherine, the researchers concluded that the ring had slipped from the hand of Peter Vok's wife and travelled down the lid of the sarcophagus to where his hands were. However, during the subsequent evaluation of the photographs and records, the descriptions of the ring varied and it was not possible to determine clearly the shape of its atypical crown for the eventual production of a model. Another opportunity for further research arose in 2021, and with the help of the latest camera and scanning technology, the mystery was partially solved.

This is one of two parts of a very interesting so-called "gimmel" ring. The word "gimmel" comes from the Latin word "gemellus" = twin. The most accurate designation in English is probably a "pair ring". These rings are ingeniously made in such a way that the two parts fit together by means of precisely defined contact surfaces and form one complete ring by using a kind of "lock". They express love and marriage, partnership. They are a symbol of two people walking side by side through life. They first appear in 13th century France, then as wedding rings mainly in English and German circles, through the Renaissance and into the 17th century. According to surviving exhibits in European museums and collections, they are most often decorated with emeralds, rubies, or garnets, chrysoprase and enamels.

Now, let us go back to Peter Vok. According to the archivist Václav Březan, the last Rožmberk wore a "ring" on his left hand for his final journey. And it was not a personal family signet ring; which is stored in the vault of the Třeboň archives (Bohemia - today Czechia). Does Mr. Vok have the other half of the "gimme" ring on his hand? We don't know ... The discovery of the ring and its spontaneous movement in a closed space allows us to let our imagination run wild and supplement the real findings with our imaginations. More than 400 years after her death, is Mrs. Catherine showing her love and affection for Mr. Vok? Or is it a manifestation of an entirely different emotion? We will leave that to the imagination and foundation (romantic or realist?) of each reader.

Perhaps even this briefly outlined story of ancient history and contemporary knowledge can inspire you to create a story of your own, where a remarkable ring or other beautiful jewellery will play one of the main roles. In your search for such a piece of jewellery, we would be delighted to welcome you to our Antiques Cinolter shop.

Sources:

The Rosenberg Tomb - the story of the search, Jiří Šindelář, et al.

Rings, Diana Scarisbrick