Ring

  • Egypt
  • 15th - 14th century B.C.
  • Glass
  • H-2.6 W-2.1
Catalogue Entry

Ring made of blue glass. The oval face and shank are thought to have been cast as one unit. Rings were a popular fashion during the Middle Kingdom in Egypt, and while there were some inscribed rings with scarabs set onto wires, with the beginning of the New Kingdom, rings were made out of metals in which the design surface and the shank were formed as a single unit. Gold rings carved with the king's name on the design surface are known to have been given by the king to his subjects. This glass ring, made in the same design as these royal gift rings with nothing carved on the design surface, was undoubtedly the same kind of valued object. Glass production began in Egypt in the 18th Dynasty and this graceful ring is a good example of the high levels of achievements reached in this period.