Ring med besoarsten.

Irregularly round, arched agate (enl.inv.1867 besoarsten), greyish brown with light brown middle part, smooth barrel of gold, the back of the stone eroded. On the underside of the piece engraved: “Hedvig Eleonora Regina Suecia.” Ring with a straight inside and arched outside, against the heel two originally enamelled fields, only remains of light blue enamel remain. The Besoar Stone occurs in the stomach of many ruminants, including the besoarget. It was considered to be protective against disease and through the open perception the skin came into direct contact with the magical power of the stone. Queen Hedvig Eleonora’s Health-Bringing Ring. The gold ring from around 1650-1700 has belonged to the widow queen Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (1632-1715). Organic matrix such as coral and amber was fashionable during the Baroque and was gladly worn as amulet against disease and bad luck. Hedvig Eleonora’s ring adorned according to an inventory/list from 1867 with a besoarsten, but according to an exhibition catalog from Nationalmuseumårt 1930 it is an act. In any case, Hedvig Eleonora was certainly convinced that it was an inconvenience as well as its health-promoting properties. The stone was supposed to contact the skin in dierect and the stone is therefore made á jour, that is, the stone’s pitch had an open bottom, which was otherwise unusual at this time. The ring is decoread with remains of enamel on the ring rail and with “Hedvig Eleonora Regina Sueciae” engraved on the underside. The rail is cut. Perhaps the queen’s fings increased over the years? Hedvig Eleonora got a long life. She saw almost the Palatinate Dynasty both being born and dying. In 1654 she was consecrated at Karl X Gustav, the same year that the young Palatinate Count first committed the Swedish throne. In 1715 she was taken to the last rest, just a few years before the probe Ulrika Eleonora d.y. abdicated. Exhibition “It Glitters Royal Jewelry” lefi 2015-08-11