The martyr king

A rare Royalist supporter’s ring commemorating the death of King Charles Ist in 1649. The high carat shank is decorated with black enamel and has a black enamel gallery to reverse. The ring contains a portrait of the monarch with mournful demeanour, with falling lace collar and wearing the Order of the Garter. It is under a domed crystal.  In life the King’s steadfast belief in the Divine Right of Kings and unswerving faith in his own authority lead to conflict within his kingdom. Yet this same sense of divinity would support him to make a dignified death shrouded in the symbolism of martyrdom. His followers, who regarded his execution as a crime, expressed their sorrow by wearing jewels such as this in his memory both at the time of his death and after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The ring is size L [US 5 and 1/2] and completely original.

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