Lot 629

Byzantine Silver Ring, Greek 'Kyrie Boethei' Inscription

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Lot 629
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Byzantine Silver Ring, Greek 'Kyrie Boethei' Inscription
Byzantine Silver Ring, Greek 'Kyrie Boethei' Inscription
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Byzantine Silver Ring, Greek 'Kyrie Boethei' Inscription

Estimate: $600 - $900

Starting Bid: $300

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
July 30, 2026 8:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Eastern Mediterranean, Byzantine Empire, ca. 800–1100 CE. Byzantine. A silver finger ring of solid cast form, its slender hoop swelling to a flattened oval bezel engraved with an abbreviated Greek invocation. The letters read "Ke Bo," a shorthand for "Kyrie boethei," meaning "Lord, help me." Such compressed pleas were among the enduring devotional formulas of the Byzantine world, worn against the skin as a portable prayer and talisman of protection. The metal has taken on a grey patina that deepens the incised strokes. Size: 0.9" D x 0.5" H (2.3 cm D x 1.3 cm H); US ring size: 8.75; silver quality: 93.8%; weight: 5.8 grams.

The formula "Kyrie boethei" (Lord, help me) draws directly on the language of the Psalms and pervaded Byzantine material culture, appearing on lead seals, amulets, pectoral crosses, and rings from the early medieval centuries onward. Its abbreviation to a handful of letters reflects a widely legible visual code: even the semi-literate would have recognized the compressed plea. Rings of this type, cast in silver with an integral engraved bezel rather than a set stone, were personal devotional objects rather than signets of office, though a firmly incised bezel could also leave an impression in wax. They testify to the deeply interwoven piety and daily life of the medieval Eastern Roman world.

Provenance: private Arden, North Carolina, USA collection, acquired 2025; ex-Palmyra Heritage Gallery, New York, New York, USA; ex-private Vienna, Austria collection, acquired 1990s

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Item # 203598

  • Condition: Some minor pittin and surface wear, but, otherwise, intact, excellent, and wearable with clear inscription.

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