Posted 9 years ago
suegray
(4 items)
I've recently acquired this wax seal and I'm curious to know it's purpose, who would have used it and why, as well as dating the the wax seal.
I believe it is a Calendarium Perpetuum but as a wax seal.
The handle is ivory and made up of 3 parts, one with screw threads and one that just slips into place.
The seal matrix measures 1" or 24 mm.
All intaglio and in reverse, the outer ring depicts odd numbers 1 - 31 and dots in between, representing even numbers. This outer ring turns/moves. The middle ring depicts Roman numerals 1 - 12 and looks as though it should move but has seized up.
The inside circle shows 2 clock hands, one with a P and one with an A.
I'm trying to learn more about this intriguing seal…
it's approximate age, purpose, if others were made, what the A and P represent on the clock hands and finally, how to get that middle ring, with roman numerals, to turn. I wonder if the reason it is stuck may be that the ivory that has swelled? I wonder how I would safely remedy that?
Hi
suegray
Those little seal are use to put some hot wax on document or official correspondence send to other, to make personnal.
Regarding the age, look old, ivory handle was good clue, but excact age I am not sure, you will to try to use it to know excacly what it look on a paper.
Wax are availed still in any good craft store.
Thanks for sharing you're find.
Alan
31 day's, 12 month, you know already, don't you.........
thanks alan! I wonder what type of correspondence or document was sealed with the date?
I was thinking the numerals 1 - 12 were hours but your comment makes much more sense… that the matrix depicts the month and date.
Hi
Yes that's make sense to "hours " to,but I wondered about the remaining 12 hours,that's why I think more about months January to December.
I have another look on the device descriptions and you're described about the "A-P"
Was make appear to be maybe am or pm, make more sense now for nor seem the 13 to 24 hours.
Lot mores research will be needed on this.
I really like also the first you post, with interchangeable numbers and symbols.
Alan
it's been 8 years since I posed these questions and I still haven't solved the mystery.