Roman Clasped Hands Bronze Ring
Weight: 1.38 g
Length: 2.0 cm / .78 in
Ring Size: 8 (US) / Q (UK)
This distinctive bronze ring, dated to the 13th–15th centuries, features a simple smooth hoop surmounted by a bezel formed of two clasped hands — a motif drawn directly from the ancient Roman tradition of dextrarum iunctio, the ritual joining of right hands at the moment of marriage.
Revived with purpose in the medieval period, the gesture retained its original meaning: a binding pledge of faith between two people. Rings of this type, known as fede rings, from the Italian mani in fede, "hands in faith", were exchanged at betrothal and marriage across medieval Europe, functioning simultaneously as personal ornament and legally and spiritually charged tokens of union.
Similar examples can be found in the British Museum Collection (Museum Number: AF.1113 & AF.1120) and in items number 665, 666, 667 of the catalogue “Hephaestus legacy - A memorial to a private collection of ancient rings and glyptics”.