MEDIEVAL SEAL MATRIX

1200

Lead seal matrix. Circular, 28 mm in diameter, and plano-convex, rising to 8 mm thick. In the centre of the reverse is a long projecting peg which is now bent over (and not included in the measurement of thickness). The die has engraved inner and outer borders and a deep circular dot. Between the borders are engraved straight lines which must have been imitating letters. Not a single letter is confidently recognisable, although there does seem to be a cross at one point (presumably beginning the inscription) and after this there may be the letters WILL. The matrix is then damaged, but after this the lines may make up another pair of Ws, so it may be that the engraver simply liked making Ws. I have seen some hundreds of seal matrices over the years, but never one so spectacularly inept as this one. Presumably it was home-made - both the casting and the engraving - and it was simply designed to give the impression of lettering, which it does quite well. Given that sealed documents show us that it was not necessary to have one's own name on the seal used to authenticate one's documents, perhaps all that was really needed was something as basic as this.