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Bronze seal or stamp* decorated with coats of arms with a coat of arms topped with a count's crown, below a small shell, from the 18th century.
This seal is in good overall condition. It has no sleeve.
A note: tiny shocks, dirt and wear of time, see photos.
Collector's item, the oldest examples of which date back four millennia before our era. The stamp was first used to affix the personal mark of a character to guarantee the contents of a box or an envelope, the authenticity of a document. The term seal was also used. The small personal stamp has been used in Europe since the Middle Ages. It can be a ring mounted with a hard stone intaglio, or a gold bezel engraved in hollow (signets are nothing else!). But more numerous are the handle seals, formed of a hard stone engraved in intaglio: carnelian, garnet, sapphire, rock crystal, agate; some are even antique intaglios. These little seals are sometimes jewels which are hung on a chain or on the chatelaine; like the boxes, it is often an object of gift. These seals are of variable sizes: there are tiny ones set in pretty chiselled gold mounts, others 1.5 to 2cm in diameter mounted on a handle of gold, pomponne, chiseled silver, mother-of-pearl, hard stone, wood...
** Coat of arms: in terms of coat of arms and collection, we rather say "arms". For an object, being emblazoned is a quality that can be a source of slight added value. A coat of arms, surmounted by a crown of count or marquis, always flatters the vanity of its owner. The presence of arms is often a sign of quality and makes it possible to establish the origin of an object, on the condition, however, of engaging in heraldic research. (Cf. Larousse dictionary of antiques and flea markets).
