Antique 17th Century Engraved Silver Heraldic Coat of Arms Intaglio Signet Ring

A superb, scarce Finnish antique 18K gold ring that was made in Helsinki in the year 1854. The oval carnelian coat of arms intaglio is set in a large intricate gold repoussé work mount featuring scrolled foliate motifs. Incredibly, thanks to a full set of Finnish hallmarks, as well as from the intaglio carving itself, we can identify who commissioned and wore this superb seal ring. The coat of arms engraved into the carnelian gemstone is that of the Klinckowström family, an old Prussian noble house whose members played prominent roles in the history of Prussia, Sweden, Finland and Austria. The family was granted nobility in Sweden in 1684 by King Charles XI, and then received the rank of baron in 1759 from King Adolf Frederick. The baronial branch was listed in the Finnish House of Nobility (Ritarihuone) from 1818 until the family line ended in Finland in 1883. This baronial element can also be seen in the engraved coat of arms from the specific type of coronet used, it is set with pearls and known as a ‘Friherrlig rangkrona’, the coronet for Baron. The hallmarks tell us that this ring was made in Helsinki in the year 1854. Accordingly, the ring must have been made for a Baron (male) of the Klinckowström family, present and active in Finland during the mid-19th century. After researching into the genealogial records, only one member of the family settled in Finland, which was Baron Otto Wilhelm Klinkowström (1778-1850), and this ring would have been commissioned by his son Baron Arthur Wilhelm Wilhelmsson Klinckowström, shortly after his father’s passing. The ring would have been made in used to seal deeds and important letters in wax regarding family affairs. Arthur had two sons. Emil and Alexander who carried on the baronial title until 1883, when the family line ended on the male side. Although the time period of this ring also matches up with his both his sons, according to heraldry records they both carried a slightly different coat of arms. Arthur, the owner of this ring enrolled in the House of Knights in Finland aged 17 and soon after received the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. He spent the remainder of his years in various senior military positions, such as Lieutenant Colonel of the Finnish Sharpshooter Battalion and Colonel of the Kremenchugska Hunter Regiment. He passed away in 1860, not long after his father, which may explain why this ring is in such excellent condition with minimal signs of usage. His father, Baron Otto Wilhelm Klinkowström (1778-1850) was a Swedish lieutenant general who later moved to Finland, where he immediately found favour with Czar Alexander I of Russia...

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A very unusual antique gold ring set with a carved brown and white hardstone cameo depicting the theatrical comic mask of Silenus, the Greek mythological old rustic god of wine-making and drunkenness. The ring was made in the late 19th century and carries French control marks for 18K gold, whilst the cameo is probably Italian and made slightly earlier, circa 1800. Silenus was a companion to the wine god Dionysus, and suitably he was a notorious consumer of wine, usually drunk and supported by satyrs or carried by a donkey. Silenus was described as the oldest, wisest and most drunken of the followers of Dionysus, and was said to possess special knowledge and the power of prophecy when intoxicated. He presides over the other satyrs and is related to musical creativity, prophetic ecstasy, drunken joy and drunken dances. Silenus was usually depicted as a jovial old man, bald yet bearded, with a pot-belly, thick lips and snub-nose. The masks worn to play him in theatre really emphasised these features, as you can see with this cameo carving Theatre was a key part of ancient Greek culture. The theatrical masks worn by the actors, known as ‘prosopon’, served various purposes. They enabled individual actors to play multiple roles (or genders) in the same performance; the exaggerated expressions helped define the character being portrayed; they helped spectators in the back rows to tell the characters apart. This particular masked as mentioned before is a comedic Silenus, please see final photo for other examples of Silenus masks in museum collections. UK size N 1/2, US size 7 4.84g 18K gold French ‘tête...

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