A desk seal belonging to legendary author Sir Walter Scott is among the items going on sale at an Edinburgh auction this week.
A collection of seals was collected over several decades by the late David Morris, with over 100 in his collection.
Items from the set will go under the hammer live online by Edinburgh-headquartered auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull on Friday May 19.
As well as Sir Walter Scott’s personal desk seal from Abbotsford House in the Scottish Borders, estimated at between £12,000 and £18,000, other notable seals include an unusual desk seal in guilt and metal in the shape of an armoured arm wielding a dagger, which belonged to the Wallace family (£2,000-£3,000), the Archbishop Spottiswoode seal (£800-£1,200) and Lady Mary Douglas Hamilton's desk seal (£1,000 -£1,500).
Sir Scott’s finely carved hand seal is believed to date from his knighthood in 1820. It is set in lapis lazuli, gold and amethyst stones and bears the writer’s family armorial.
A prolific writer of letters, it is likely that this seal was also used in correspondence to King George IV. This led to Scott organising a royal visit to Scotland, complete with tartan pageantry which resulted in the elevation of the kilt to national dress.
Another prominent seal in the sale was commissioned by The Edinburgh Theatrical Fund seal. This important piece of history from the Enlightenment period was made in 1819 and is mounted in gold, boxwood and agate. It is estimated at between £1,500 and £2,500.
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The seal of the Forth & Clyde Canal Company, which became the Company of Proprietors of the Forth and Clyde Navigators dates back to 1768 and is beautifully engraved with its emblem.
The firm was responsible for the construction of a canal route between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde which enabled boat travel from Edinburgh to Glasgow. It is expected to fetch between £400 and £600.
Lyon & Turnbull specialist Kier Mulholland, who will be at the rostrum this Friday, describes the collection as being 'art in miniature and craftsmanship at its finest’.
Ms Mulholland added: “This is an exceptional collection of historic and elegant objects. David Morris went to great lengths to acquire these significant works, which offer a glimpse into a time when family crests and armorials were of great importance.
"Perhaps most tantalising is that each piece tells us a different story, which is the reason they were collected by Mr Morris.”
Wax seals were widely used from the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century when letters could be safely sealed with glue.
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The hot wax both seals the letter and proves the authenticity of its provenance.
A seal would generally reflect something about the person employing it, for example the Catholic French royalty using the fleur-de-lis symbol, a stylised version of the white lily used to represent the purity of the Virgin Mary.
It's still used on the coat of arms of Lille, Saint-Denis, Brest, Clermont-Ferrand, Boulogne-Billancourt, and Calais.
The fleur-de-lis is also associated with the city of Florence, Italy, where it appears on the coat of arms and the badge of the city's football team, Fiorentina.
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