Period: 1790 ca
Provenance: Italy
Finger size: 7 ¼ 
Weight: 5.30 gr.

The ring, dated around 1790 and made of 18-carat gold, is composed of three rings, two of which have the decoration of two interlaced hands that, once opened, reveal a heart affixed to the third ring. The “maninfide” ("hands in faith") are a particular type of rings that spread from the seventeenth century as an expression of love and affection that crown the wedding, of which this ring symbolizes the celebration. This iconology comes from the Roman ritual that involved the union of the right hand during the engagement ceremony, which takes the name of dextrarum iunctio, because it was considered sacred for Fides, goddess of trust. The practice of the right hand that is held as a symbol of love and marriage has remained alive over the centuries, both in jewellery and painting, as witnessed by Rubens in the wedding portrait celebrating the union with his wife Isabella Brant in 1609.