Vintage and Antique Wax Seals

The oldest known seals originated in ancient Mesopotamia, where cylindrical stamps were made from stone or shell as early as 4,000 - 3,000 BCE. These engraved or intaglio stamps, also known as “seal matrices,” were carved in reverse so that their images would be readable when pressed into soft materials like clay, resulting in a mirror image of the original stone engraving. At a time before writing was commonplace, seals were generally used to claim ownership of something and to authenticate official documents—for example, one might imprint their seal on a clay medallion, or "bulla," securing the string around a papyrus document so that it couldn’t be opened or tampered with before reaching its intended recipient. Ancient stone stamps have been found all across the Middle East, in the Indus Valley, and in the former Roman Empire, and these etched stones were sometimes set into jewelry like rings. In various cultures, high-ranking citizens would have carried their own seals, whose inscription would denote their rank or office. For example, Egyptian intaglio seals and signet rings often featured a cartouche—a set of hieroglyphs within an oval shape to represent the name and title of a royal figure. Seals were also adopted in Asia around the 1st millennium BCE, though these were typically square-shaped, text-based designs made from ivory, wood, or jade. One of the most famous Chinese designs is the imperial seal, or hsi, of Emperor Shih Huang-ti, dating to the 3rd century BCE and featuring a one-horned dragon as its handle. During the Middle Ages in Europe, the use of wax seals spread widely, as it became increasingly popular for nobles, religious figures, guild officials, and the aristocracy to use stamped seals as assay marks on documents, similar to signatures today. Documents requiring the approval of several different parties might have each of their seals attached. These seals could be single or double sided, and were typically stamped directly onto the parchment, attached to a horizontally cut “tail,” or affixed like tags via hemp cords or silk ribbon. The wax used for Medieval-period seals were made from beeswax, turpentine, and colored pigment, which included hues of black, white, brown, green, and, most often, a deep red. A seal’s unique design often featured specific heraldry, meaning a crest or coat of arms associated with a certain person, family, or organization, along with a text inscription ringing the imagery in a circular form, similar to many coins. Papal seals, or those associated with the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church, were typically imprinted in lead, rather than wax. The earliest papal seals simply bore the word “LEONIS” and “PAPA” on alternate sides. Eventually, these were updated with an image showing the heads of Saint Paul and Saint Peter, with the letters “SPA” and “SPE” above them and a cross at the seal’s center; the backside was inscribed with the current pope’s name. Ecclesiastic seals were often designed in a vesica piscis or pointed oval shape. Some of the most elaborate seals were made with a two-sided press and used for official royal business, such as the 11th-century “great seal” (a seal used for royalty) used to ratify the writs of King Edward the Confessor. Many royals followed the basic format used on the great seal of William the Conqueror, with one side depicting the king seated on his throne and the other riding a horse. Europe’s aristocracy quickly copied this popular equestrian design, with many 12th and 13th century seals depicting men riding into battle or hunting on horseback. Others adopted seals representing animals, such as birds, fish, lions, or even mythical creatures like the cockatrice, a two-legged dragon with a rooster’s head. In contrast, less powerful members of the gentry or landowning classes might have used a single decorative initial for their seal. As the use of seals trickled down from royalty and church officials to more ordinary merchants in the 13th and 14th centuries, the mix of shapes and designs diversified. Seals became so widespread in the 14th century that a business owner or craftsperson could buy a matrix ready made. By the 18th century, beyond sealing official envelopes or paper documents, it was also common to use wax seals to mark bottles of wine to indicate the vintner, glassworks, or wine seller. The use of official seals declined as literacy spread and written signatures replaced them. However, personal fob seals became fashionable in the 17th and 18th centuries for sealing private correspondence, and these were often made from intaglio gemstones in settings of precious metals. Before the invention of self-adhesive envelopes, wax seals were frequently used to seal a piece of mail to itself. Additionally, because postage pricing was based on the number of sheets mailed, senders often preferred to seal a letter with wax rather than adding the cost of a paper envelope. Gradually, as postage was standardized and envelopes became commonplace, wax seals declined in daily use. Today, the study of seals is known as sigillography.