Jewish betrothal ring

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

It is difficult to date and localize the large, ornamented rings that were created for use in synagogues during the wedding ritual. However, there is ample evidence that examples such as this one were exchanged during Italian Jewish weddings. The groom would place it on the bride's finger, but after the ceremony the ring would have been kept as a prized memento by either the family or the temple community. The gable roof—perhaps symbolizing the Temple of Jerusalem—opens to reveal the words "Good Luck."

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art