Islamic Silver Ring with Ancient Kufic Intaglio

An incredibly rare museum-grade 'Islamic Golden Age' antique calligraphic seal signet ring.

The brown and white sardonyx intaglio seal is intricately engraved with one line of simple angular style Kufic script with narrow spacing which dates the seal to the 8th-9th century (AD 701 - 900). It translates to “Walid remember death” and is an example of a very rare remembrance of death intaglio also known as a ‘dhikr al-mawt’.

The reminder of death has been a major topic of Islamic spirituality since the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in Medina. The hadith literature records Muhammad’s advice to “remember often death, the destroyer of pleasures”. This philosophy shares many ideals to ‘Memento mori’, a stark reminder of the fleeting nature of life and therefore to cherish each day.

The Kufic intaglio reads:

وليد اذكر الموت
 (Walid ithkur al-mawt)


The flat top oval intaglio with bevelled edges is set within a later silver mount which features a unique clasped hands (fede/claddagh) motif which grasps the weaved mount c. 18th/19th century.

For a very similar dated Kufic sardonyx seal see item 177, in ‘Arabic Seals and Amulets in the British Museum’ (2011).

UK Size T 1/2, US size 10, 7.22g Silver

A truly one-of-a-kind collectors piece!