SEALS
In the ancient and medieval
world seals abounded. Documents were attested with seals. Wine
casks were sealed. Scales were sealed. Warehouses were sealed.
Lots of stuff. Seals were applied to clay, wax, and lead mostly.
Obviously lead seals have survived in greatest numbers.
In Kievan Rus', which was
sub-Byzantine in heritage, there was a parallel administration: church
and civic. Church seals always had churchly subjects. Civic
seals had religious iconography too, but also had the name and sometimes
the place of the issuer. Civic seals are today scarcer by far than
the churchies.
Some documentary seals were
meant to be shown and did not "lock" the document. In modern usage
such things were like the gold foil doodad at the bottom of the words on
a diploma. Other seals truly "sealed" the thing: wine cask, official
message, etc. In that usage the seal had to be cut to get at the
thing inside. Pieces of old seals are, thus, more common than complete
ones.
UKRS-1)
UKRAINE,
KIEVAN RUS', c. 900-1300, 20mm ecclesiatic lead seal, Jesus
standing facing / saint standing facing, VF $65.00
sold
Click picture for enlargement.
UKRS-2)
UKRAINE,
KIEVAN RUS', c. 900-1300, lot of ecclesiastic lead seal fragments,
largest is 22x15mm, smallest is 8x13mm, the seals were of course broken
when the sealed object was opened, so this is the normal condition in which
they are found, 4 pcs, VF $55.00 sold
Click picture for enlargement.
UKRS-3)
UKRAINE,
KIEVAN RUS', c. 900-1300, 24x22mm oval civic lead seal,
bust of Jesus? facing / legend in (at least) 4 lines. We can read
some of it but we can't pull a name out. When you do you will have
an exceedingly rare & valuable (relatively speaking) piece. Couple
of gashes rev., VF $135.00 sold
Click picture for enlargement.
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Bob Reis
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Raleigh NC 27611USA
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fax: (888) 503-8308
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