Armorial silver seal matrice

Code: 11169

This is a late Tudor - Stuart period silver armorial seal, dating to the 16th - 17th century. This seal would have once belonged to a nobleman, bearing his crest and arms. The armorial displays a 'two bars or in a chief chevron or'. Its crest sits atop of the helmet, in the shape of a bird sitting on top of a knotted snake or worm. The difficulty in establishing the likely owner of this seal comes with determining the colours of the arms. The small dots on the chevron and bars should, by convention, indicate the colour gold ('or') with the featureless field indicating silver ('argent') but there cannot be gold against a white background. However, the body of the seal is shaped with a trefoil handle and a single piercing.  A similar to one recorded from Ryedale (YORYM-05658C), Loversall (YORYM-EBB123) and Much Dewchurch (HESH-839072) dated to the 16th and 17th century. 

OBJECT: Armorial Fob Seal

CULTURE: Tudor/Stuart

DATE: c. 1550 - 1650 A.D.

MATERIAL: Silver

SIZE: 26.80mm x 17.23mm x 14.93mm 

WEIGHT:  10.08 grams

PROVENANCE: Formerly the property of a lady, from the collection of Simon Bendall (Byzantine Numismatist, 1937-2019).