19th Century Wax Seals Etui with Sixteen Double-Sided Seals

This 19th-century wax seal travel set was used to seal personal letters with hot wax. This set offered ready-to-use seals with several apt, often humorous, mottos that could be selected based on the letter’s content or recipient. 

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:

•     A ship in stormy waters: ‘Telle est la vie’ / A dog and column: ‘Le temps Passe l’Amitie Reste’.

•    A bird flying from its cage: ‘Qui me Neglige, me Perd’ / a race between two horses: ‘Lequel?’.

•    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’

•    Cupid riding/taming the devil / a running dog, carrying a letter: ‘Va Vite’

•    A swallow: ‘Le froid me chasse’ / ‘Lundi’.

•    A heart: ‘Je me suis pas gai si tu este triste’ / ‘Jeudi’.

•    The love, hope and faith symbol / ‘Dimanche’.

•    Cupid: ‘L’amitie est l’amour sans ailes’ / A mountain landscape: ‘calme au sein des orages’.

•    A running dog: ‘Je suis pressé’ / A fox and a stork with his beak in a tall jar: ‘Chacun son tour’.

•    A Pelican feeding her young with her blood: ‘Pour les Miens’ / Samedi.

•    A tiger: ‘Ami Fidele Ennemi Implacable’ / Plus Deuil Que Joje’.

•    Two clasped hands: ‘l’Amitie’ / ‘Vendredi’.

•    An oil lamp: ‘Je Meurs si j’on Mouille’ / A tiger caught in a net: ‘Avec la Temps’. This seal is in this set twice

•    A quill ‘Toujours Sincere’ / An envelope: ‘Allez Heureuze!’

•    A hunting dog / ‘La Mort N’est Rien L’oubli Est Tout’.

GENERAL INFORMATION 

Size: 62 x 16 x 16 mm. Each seal measures 10 x 8 mm. 

Weight: 31.95 grams

Age: 19th Century, circa 1830s. 

Material: Brass.

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. When the etui is full, it can be a little difficult to open: gently jiggling it back and forth will help!

Please note that this shop is based in the EU. Although antiques are exempt from taxes in most countries, buyers from outside the EU might be subject to import taxes.