Roma quanta fuit, ipsa ruina docet

Antique Micromosaic of the Colosseum in Gold as a Ring, Rome Around 1870 and Later

€ 1,290.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Antique Micromosaic of the Colosseum in Gold as a Ring, Rome Around 1870 and Later

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

Roma quanta fuit, ipsa ruina docet - "How great Rome was, even her ruins bear witness to." This quote by Francesco Albertini (1469 – after 1510), which has coagulated into a proverb, laments the decline of antiquity. From the perspective of the Italian scholar and humanist of the Renaissance, the time since the fall of the empire had brought only decay and decline - and artists, architects and writers of the early 16th century wistfully and a little sadly sensed what treasure of culture, technology and knowledge they would first have to laboriously regain. But "How great Rome was, even her ruins bear witness to" - this sentence of Albertini's was soon also turned into irony. For with each step further towards the study of antiquity, one also became aware of the cracks, the tensions and the shallows of this epoch. It is true that the ruins still bear witness to the Roman empire - but perhaps not everything was as worthy of imitation and exemplary as had been assumed in the meantime? This ring of gold presents us with a fabulous, richly detailed mosaic depicting the ruins of the Colosseum. Under the glorious Roman sky, between light blue and a light rose, the walls of the amphitheatre stare upwards. Even the delicate vegetation that has taken possession of the ruin in the hundreds of years since its construction has been depicted by the executing artist. A frame of aventurine glass, also called gold river, is placed shimmering around the fine mosaic. But what does the view of the ruin teach us? Certainly a lesson about impermanence, about the fall of empire and its culture, and reverence for the way of the world. But the view also holds hope: for the place where thousands of slaves, prisoners, Christians, and animals had to lay down their lives for the pleasure of the city's populace has now, as a ruin, become a peaceful place: Of the greatness of Rome, which was also a terrible, brutal greatness, this ruin tells. And at the same time it shows that there can also be improvement in the world and perhaps even progress. The modern ring band with its elaborate gallery of gold holds the mosaic, which was created in the second half of the 19th century, securely on the finger with its original setting. The set mosaic was probably a link of a bracelet or a small brooch. In the middle of the 20th century it was transformed into a ring. Thus the emblem of Rome can now be worn on the finger. The ring came to us from Hamburg.

Size & Details

Roma quanta fuit, ipsa ruina docet

€ 1,290.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

Learn more

Roma quanta fuit, ipsa ruina docet

Rings

Privacy settings