Date: May
1–October 18, 2015
Purchase
advance tickets to avoid waiting in admission lines. Exhibitions are free with
Museum admission.
The
Cloisters museum and gardens
Rings are
one of the oldest and most familiar forms of bodily adornment. Worn by both
women and men, they serve as declarations of status, markers of significant
life events, expressions of identity, and protective talismans. They also have
been a source of boundless invention for goldsmiths and their clients.
The rings
featured in this exhibition come from the Griffin Collection, named after the
mythical creature that is part lion and part eagle. In medieval lore, the
griffin was often a guardian of treasure and was known to seek out gold in
rocks. While the collection includes finger rings from across the ages, our
selection focuses specifically on objects made in the ancient, medieval, and
Renaissance periods. These were especially innovative moments in the
development of finger rings, and the wide variety of designs on view testifies
to the creative energy of premodern goldsmiths. Related works from the
Metropolitan's collection highlight the connections between rings and other
works of art, such as painting, metalwork, and manuscript illumination.
Exploring
the making of rings from raw material to finished product and from goldsmith to
owner, this exhibition will highlight rings as both physical objects and works
of art. The significance of rings in the lives of medieval and Renaissance
people will be a featured topic. Also discussed will be the connection of rings
to religion, superstition, love, marriage, and identity.
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