The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-11-09
MARTIN LUTHER'S
RING is OWNED BY
BROOKLYN WOMAN
Has Been Handed Down in
Family For Four
Centuries. Is

4 Perhaps it doesn't celebrate the
worlds greatest romance, but a ring
now on exhibition att the rooms of
the American Historical society may
safely be set down as the worlds
most interesting engagement ring.
.Di MARITIME Observation-Disclosures v.
Boren. Is Juni, 1926" Is its simple
but significant inscription. For 400
years the romance of that ring has
been inextricably associated in the
minds of millions with the history of
all Ehristendom; for the marriage Of
Meftin Luther to Catherine Won Bo-
r4n signified the last break of the
Areat Protestant with the traditions
'sof Rome.
The heirloom itself is the property
I Of Mrs Hildegarde Pinkert, wife Of
Rev. Macmillan Pinkert of Brook
Ign. More interesting still, Mrs. Pin
kert is not a wealthy collector who
secured the ring by the power of
money, but its rightful owner accord
ing to four centuries of tradition OF
Z the ducal family of Anhalt-Bernberg.
ITO which Catherine Won Boren be-
longed.
DR.. Pinkert first saw the ring while
on visit to, the home Of Mrs. Pin
kert's sister in Germany about three
years ago. Its authenticity seemed
fairly we'll established, but DR.. Pin
kert did not offer the curio for exhi-
biflon- until he had. submitted it to
several experts in both Europe and
America
According to the traditions of the
Anhalt -Bernbergs, the ring was to
descend always to the eldest daugh-
ter. unless it should happen that an
other daughter in the family should
be betrothed to a. Lutheran clergy
man. In case there were no daugh-
ters to inherit the keepsake directly,
Il was to pass to the woman relative
who was next of kin. 1t was thus
that Gabriel Marke, sister OF Mrs.
P1n1xert, came into the inheritance
she received 1t from an aunt, Mrs.
walter. the eldest daughter OF the
family of Freifrau Won Georg1, VINO
was married to DR.. Conrad Walter OF
~ Tohn.s church in Leipsic. For
more than a century the ring had
been in the possession Of the Georgi
fa4r,i1v a branch Of the Anhalt-Bern-
zbergs.
M The ring is an excellent example OF
the religious art of the 18th century
It was thus described by H. Noel
Humphreys, an eminent authority, in
an article in the Observer in 1862:
The petrothment ring of Luther,
which Belonged to family in Leip-
sic as late as 1877. and Is doubtless
still preserved with great care as a
personal relic of great interest, is
composed of an intricate device of
gold work, set with a ruby, the en-
hem OF exalted love. The gold de-
vices represent all the symbols of the
Passion In the center is the cruel
ned Savior, on one side the spear
with which the side was pierced and
the rod of reeds of the fiagellation.
on the other is leaf of hyssop.
Beneath are the dies with which
the soldiers cast lots for the garment
without seams and below are the
three nails. At the back may be dis
ffnguished the inside of the ladder
and other symbols connected with the
Atonement-the whole so grouped as
to make a large cross surn1ounted by
ruby.
There are a number of rings in ex-
sstence which are claimed to be "Lu-
theirs wedding ring" and it was with
the utmost caution that DR.. Pinkert
made his investigations. The ring
was supposed by some to be the we'd
ding ring. as the date of the marriage
IS inscribed upon It, But betrothal
rings, it was discovered, were worn
In those days after the marriage. as
well as before, and the date of the
marriage was sometimes inscribed
upon them.
DR.. Carl Jentch Of the Leipsic In
stitute of Arts was the first expert to
assure Or Pinlkert that the relic was
genuine: and the fact that the ring
vas known to ,ibe in the Geori fam
f1y for more than a century practi-
cal1y removes the suspicion that 1t
NAV have been an imitation.
There was another famous Luther"
ring which was designed by Lucas
.Crenach, a friend of Luthers and
wis for years on exhibition in Cross
fersoIcliches Museum at Brunswick.
This latter ring was of the pattern
tfsed in the 10th century and was
known as the Gimmei type. George
r. ,Ku1stz, in his recently published
work which he calls .iTcings for the
B4nesrs,'' says that this particular
ring was divisfbie but not separabie;
on one hoop was diamond and on
the other ruby.
AN INTERESTING FAMILY ROW.