Jewish Wedding Ring - Fourteenth Century

Fourteenth Century
This ring is part of the Erfurt Synagogue treasure, hidden inside the wall of the synagogue in Erfurt, Thuringia, in 1349.
Erfurt Old Synagogue Museum

Connection to Website Themes

Spousal Power Dyanmics: Made of gold, the most precious metal available, this ring surely indicates the high social status of the wearer. Although only worn during the wedding ceremony, the financial resources demonstrated by this ring imply that wealth played a role in the interactions between the spouses.

Community Social Norms: The gothic style elements on the ring indicate the extent to which Jewish aesthetics were influenced by the larger cultural trends.

Church and State: This object demonstrates the close connection between the institutions of faith and the institution of marriage in the Jewish tradition. The size of the temple structure in comparison to the rest of the ring indicates the importance of the symbolic connection between a marriage of two people and the legacy of the Jerusalem Temple.

What is Love: The bottom of the ring features two clasped hands, the ‘fede’ motif that originates in Roman times and appeared on wedding rings in Western Europe throughout the Middle Ages, in both Christian and Jewish settings. The inscription of mazel tov demonstrates the hope that the married couple would attain not just an economic partnership but also happiness together.