Period: 1790 ca.

Provenance: Italy

Ring size: 7 ¼ 

Weight: 5,30 gr

The ring, dated to around 1790 and made of 18-karat gold, is composed of three bands, of which the two outer ones are decorated with two intertwined hands which, when opened, show the third band decorated with a heart. The 'maninfide' (lit. “hand in faith”) ring is a type of ring that has spread from the 17th century onwards as an expression of eternal love that sanctioned marriage, according to an iconography that takes up the Roman tradition of dextrarum iunctio, the ritual of shaking right hands as a sign of faith, union and loyalty, a gesture considered sacred for the goddess of trust Fides. This rite soon became a symbol of love and marital union, so much so that it remained alive over the centuries and took root in the goldsmith and pictorial tradition, as also evidenced by Rubens's 1609 wedding portrait celebrating his union with his wife Isabella Brant. In this case, moreover, the ring is adorned with the setting of rubies and diamonds near the cuffs of the hands, as symbol of the wealth of the spouses and the preciousness of their love.