This 19th-century wax seal travel set was used in the 19th Century to close personal letters with hot wax. This set offered ready-to-use seals with several apt, often humorous, mottos that could be selected depending on the content or receiver of that specific letter.
This partially gilded brass case has been intricately worked on all four sides. The front is set with a small silver inlay depicting a vine of grapes, set with five blue cabochon-cut paste stones.
Inside are sixteen brass double-sided seals, with one double seal so giving 30 motto's to use in total, mostly in French. These are:
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- A Pelican feeding her young with her blood: 'Pour les Miens' / Samedi.
- A withered rose: ‘Fletrie avant le temps’ / ‘Semper’.
- Cupid: ‘L'amitie est l'amour sans ailes’ / A mountain landscape: ‘calme au sein des orages’.
- Two clasped hands: 'l'Amitie’ / ‘Vendredi’.
- A running dog: 'Je suis pressé' / A fox and a stork with his beak in a tall jar: 'Chacun son tour'.
- A bird flying from its cage: 'Qui me Neglige, me Perd' / a race between two horses: 'Lequel?'. - This seal is in this set twice.
- A swallow: ‘Le froid me chasse’ / ‘Lundi’.
- Cupid riding/taming the devil / a running dog, carrying a letter: 'Va Vite'
- A clinging vine on a tree stump: ‘Il me Faut un Appui’ / A bird afar, a lit candle in front (appearing to burn the bird): 'Illusion'
- A harlequin: 'Toujours Gai’ / ‘Mercredi’.
- A falling leaf: 'Brisez' / a heart-shaped locket: 'You have the Key'.
- An oil lamp: ‘Je Meurs si j’on Mouille’ / A tiger caught in a net: ‘Avec la Temps’.
- A hunting dog / 'La Mort N'Est Rien L'Oubli Est Tout'.
- A ship in stormy waters: 'Telle est la vie' / A dog and column: ‘Le temps Passe l’Amitie Reste’.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: 62 x 16 x 16 mm. Each seal measures 10 x 8 mm.
Weight: 32.40 grams
Age: 19th Century, circa 1840s.
Material: Brass with a silver and paste inlay.
Condition: In good antique condition with only minor signs of wear, consistent with its age. All seals are in good condition, some appear to have been barely used, while others show small signs of use.