Plain Ring
Unknown Artist
7th century
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
Overall: 11/16 x 1/16 in. (1.8 x 0.2 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Copper alloy
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.193.182
Art Historical Context
This delicate **Plain Ring**, crafted from copper alloy in the 7 century by an unknown Frankish artisan, the understated elegance of early medieval metalwork. Measuring just 11/16 x 1/16 inches (1.8 x 0.2 cm), its simple band form suggests it was likely worn as a finger ring, highlighting the precision of Frankish craftsmanship during the Merovingian period. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Medieval Art Departmentthanks to a 1917 gift from J.pont Morgan—this unadorned piece stands out for its humility amid more ornate contemporaries. The Franks, a Germanic people who dominated much...