EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD AND NIELLO RING WITH CHI-RHO

Ca. AD 600. A gold ring with a broad hoop expanding through rounded shoulders to a large circular bezel. The face is inlaid in niello with the Chi-Rho Christogram, formed by the superimposed Greek letters chi (X) and rho (P), the first two letters of Christos, meaning Christ. For similar see: J. Spier, Byzantium and the West, The jewels of the first millennium, Cat. 5 Size: D:13.1mm / US: 1 3/4 / UK: C 1/2; Weight: 4.5g Provenance: Private London collection; acquired in Germany; formerly with S.T. collection, Switzerland, 1980s-2000s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.