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Details
A Spanish or Spanish colonial gold and diamond ring,
the band pierced with quatrefoil ornament in undulating borders and applied with three rectangular-cut diamonds in foliate settings, circa 1650, finger size I.
See plate 4
the band pierced with quatrefoil ornament in undulating borders and applied with three rectangular-cut diamonds in foliate settings, circa 1650, finger size I.
See plate 4
Special notice
VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium
Further details
The appearance of the engraved quatrefoil motif is most unusual at this date, though gold treasure recovered from the Nuestra Señora de la Concepcion, which sank off the Philippines in 1638, included three ring mounts with this decoration as part of an ornamental frieze. Dr Beatriz Chadour, who has catalogued the Concepcion treasure, attributes the motif to pattern books currently in circulation (viz: Daniel Mignot, Matthias Zundt, Erasmus Hornick or Joseph Guell who uses the motif in his drawing of an incense burner dated 1646 in the Llibres de Passanties). She also suggests that it could have been adopted by Chinese goldsmiths acquainted with the geometric patterns favoured in the Ming period, who would also have been aware of neighbouring Ayutthaya designs that incorporate geometric forms such as quatrefoil.