Intaglio seal6/18/2023 ![]() began to see an increase in uniformity and a proliferation of similar, more mass-produced designs. Certainly rings produced after the mid-first century C.E. Not all of these rings could have been worn for sealing and not all of the images personally associated with the wearer. In excavations of cities surrounding Vesuvius, remains were recovered wearing several engraved rings at once. While general categories of use can be identified, this makes it difficult to determine what specific rings were used for and what they meant to the person who wore them. The significance of intaglio rings was as much symbolic as practical, and the fact that they were worn on the body meant that an intaglio might be used in any context in which the wearer found themselves. On the flip side, Petronius, formerly a close friend of the emperor Nero, made sure to have his signet ring broken before committing suicide so that no one else might use his seal (and therefore his name and authority) after his death. The imagery on an intaglio ring could become intimately and publicly associated with the wearer - for example, Augustus’ sphinx seal was well-known during his Principate, and he even left a copy of the ring for his political intimates to use in his name when he was away from Rome. When Marcus Octavius insisted on using his tribunician veto to foil Gracchus’ attempts to hold a vote, Gracchus sealed the public treasury (aerarium) to ensure that the quaestors could not use any money until the vote was held. According to Plutarch, Tiberius Gracchus placed his personal seal upon the doors of the Temple of Saturn during his fight with fellow-tribune Octavius over the passing of his agrarian reform bill. However, references from Roman literature make it clear that anything of value might be sealed, including doors, bottles, and jars. ![]() Typically items sealed would be documents or letters, with the wax showing an image associated with the sender while also demonstrating that the item had not been opened. The primary use of these rings - and in Rome they were typically rings, worn on the hands rather than as medallions or brooches - appears to have been for wax sealing. An intaglio ring design was carved backwards into the material by an artisan the design would then appear the right way round when it was impressed into a soft material like wax, leaving a raised indentation. Incised gems recovered from Roman sites boast a wide range of materials, imagery, and symbolism, and appear to have been employed across wealth classes. Intaglios were a fairly common item in the Roman world. Wax seal sticks £1.50 ea.Teddy Lewis is a recent Ancient & Modern History graduate with a focus on the Late Republic and early Empire. There will be 600 available from The Medical society during Ghost Week ( if our foundry in Sheffield meets the demand ) and a further 600 sold online from a release later in November - date to be announced. ![]() Seals would also allow the recipient to identify prior to opening who the sender was by the design of the seal.Įdition size -1200. The recipient would know if the communication had been viewed because the seal had to be broken to see its contents. Written material would be sealed & stampted to be enclosed & private. Seals were most popular in the Georgian and Victorian era, when the art of handwritten correspondence was at its most prevalent. Intaglio seals have been used since Egyptian times, an intaglio seal is a 'stamp' of sorts that is used to secure all types of hand-written communication. Please note that the marks & imperfections are part of this process and product, bronze also tarnishes which is normal. They are hand made and bear the marks of the oldest known casting process, the finish is intended to look like an object from a bygone era and not a modern counterpart. We have used an ancient “lost wax” method to produce them. This is our first Little Ghost made as a Black Box Edition, it is 5cm and solid cast bronze, on the base are the inverted crossed torches chased in negative to form the Intaglio Seal for forming the impression in hot wax. The Black Box Edition Intaglio Seal Ghost will be available to purchase at the Medical Society ( not from the shop on the Shambles ). There will be a screening each hour at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm every day, including Sunday 30th. The film lasts 24 minutes and is free to view, tickets are not required but there might be a wait to view at peak times. There is a waiting room for the next screening if we are at full capacity. The Lecture Theatre built in 1870 will be our screening room and seats 58. The Society is located down an alley off the south side of Stonegate, it is shown on our Ghost Week map. Our short film entitled “The Intaglio Seal” opens tomorrow at the Medical Society.
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