POST MEDIEVAL SEAL

1685

A lead alnage bag seal of James II (1685 - 1688). The seal is complete, though worn and is formed from two circular discs joined by a rectangular strip or tag of lead, which was then folded over the edge of cloth, so that the discs align. One side is decorated with a Charles II type head facing right, inside a pellet border. The other is decorated with a Tudor style rose, within a pellet border. The seal is 17.6mm long, 14.15mm in diameter and weighs 2.76g. Similar post-reformation seals can be seen in Egan, 1994, Lead cloth seals and related items in the British Museum, British Museum Occasional paper 93, figure 27. See especially number 137 for the portrait comparison.