Seal Ring with the name of Hajji Muhammad ibn Mahmud

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 455

Signet rings engraved with the names of their owners or with short sayings or prayers appear on the fourth fingers of men in fifteenth and early sixteenth century Iranian miniature paintings. The lapus-lazuli setting of this seal ring is carved with the name of Hajji Muhammad ibn Mahmud written in reverse. Although the original purpose of these rings was to stamp one’s name into a seal, they may also have functioned as talismans used to protect their owners from harm.

Seal Ring with the name of Hajji Muhammad ibn Mahmud, Bezel: lapis-lazuli; carvedShank: silver; worked, gilded, and with black inlay

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Seal Ring with the name of Hajji Muhammad ibn Mahmud, Bezel: lapis-lazuli; carvedShank: silver; worked, gilded, and with black inlay
Seal Ring with the name of Hajji Muhammad ibn Mahmud, Bezel: lapis-lazuli; carvedShank: silver; worked, gilded, and with black inlay
Seal Ring with the name of Hajji Muhammad ibn Mahmud, Bezel: lapis-lazuli; carvedShank: silver; worked, gilded, and with black inlay
Seal Ring with the name of Hajji Muhammad ibn Mahmud, Bezel: lapis-lazuli; carvedShank: silver; worked, gilded, and with black inlay

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