Gimmel ring (Twin ring)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This two-part ring of interlaced gold hoops is inscribed with a German phrase that translates to “Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.” This type of ring was commonly used as a wedding band during the Renaissance. A gimmal ring with a similar message featured in the marriage ceremony of Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483–1546) and Katharina von Bora (1499–1552), a former Cistercian nun.

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