**First Time At Auction**

Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Java, ca. 9th to 12th century CE. A resplendent gold-silver alloy ring with a circular face that is fittingly etched with the Javanese decorative version of "Sri" (Shri), a Sanskrit symbol of wealth and prosperity, with a 54.83% gold content (equivalent to 13K+)! The Sri epithet is associated with the goddess Lakshmi (Dewi Sri), the Sanskrit script stylized and arranged symmetrically to resemble other symbolic imagery such as a lotus flower, the vase of plenty, or snakes that were associated with the goddess. The solid band is rounded and slightly expands at the shoulders, and this piece is in superb condition and wearable! Sri granted luck and prosperity to the wearer, and the word is still used today as a polite form of address and or honorary title or for deities. Size of face: 0.5" Diameter (1.3 cm); band opening: 0.77" Diameter (2 cm); US ring size: 6.75; electrum quality: 54.83% (equivalent to 13K+) gold, 43.22% silver; weight: 8.3 grams.

The Sri symbol was very popular in Indonesian / Javanese jewelry and the Metropolitan Museum of Art has several fingering examples with stylized Sri symbols. For a similar example of this ring, please see the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website, accession number: 1998.544.370.

Javanese society during this time were known for their proficiency in high-quality gold craftsmanship, alloying gold and silver to create both beautiful and durable pieces. The gold-silver alloy known as electrum or green-gold was often used for finger rings - such as this piece - to endure everyday wear, the silver strengthen the malleable gold to prevent bending. Javanese metalsmiths were adept at producing highly aesthetic pieces with particular alloys depending on the function of the final piece. Gold smithing was a highly regarded skill and art in Java, and the ways that gold purity was determined (rubbing on a touchstone, beating or hammering, or melting, etc.) became metaphors for human qualities and virtues.

Provenance: private Boynton Beach, Florida, USA collection; ex-Susan Ollemans collection, London, UK

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#177543

Choice condition. Intact with only slight bending to band shape. Please note that while the ring fits to a 6.75 on the US ring sizer, the shape enables this band to fit up to a size 7.