Northwestern Europe, England, Stuart period, ca. 17th century CE. This is a lovely high quality 88% silver armorial seal fob with an armorial crest of a rampart lion within an escutcheon. The handle is cast into an elegant trefoil with openwork teardrop shaped piercings and the ovoid stamp face mounted to tapered neck. The engraved face consists of a beaded border around a rampart lion facing right below a chief or horizontal band across the top edge, stippled to create a textured pattern when stamped. This stamp would have been used to mark wax seals on important documents or correspondences and there are faint remains of red wax in the recessed areas. The fob handle could then be worn around the neck or on a belt when not in use. This is an excellent example with a clear and well preserved motif! Size: 0.5" L x 0.65" W x 0.8" H (1.3 cm x 1.7 cm x 2 cm); silver quality: 88%; weight: 4.6 grams.

Provenance: private Boynton Beach, Florida, USA collection; ex-private Simon Bendall collection

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#170759

Age and use expected surface wear and minor rubbing to stamp face, otherwise intact and excellent. Dark patina and toning.