Details

LOT 0758

Medieval Bronze 'St Andrew' Oval Seal Matrix

14TH CENTURY AD

1" (11 grams, 26mm).

A stamp seal with strap and loop to the reverse; intaglio design of St. Andrew facing, tied to a saltire cross; to the border the Lombardic script legend 'S' WILL'.CAPELLANI+ANDREA:PIE' (seal of William, Chaplain of St Andrew); accompanied by an impression and collector's relevant data cards.

Provenance

An important London collection of ecclesiastical seals, acquired since the 1970s; found Dalton-le-Dale, County Durham, UK, 2011.

Footnotes

Saint Andrew (died 1st century AD), brother of St Peter, was a disciple of St John the Baptist before folowing Christ; his relics were stolen from Constantinople in 1210 and now rest at Amalfi; he is the patron saint of Scotland, Russia and Greece and he is usually depicted on or with the saltire cross of his martyrdom (sometimes holding a fish), said to have been at Patras in Achaia; his commemoration day is 30th November. A William of Dalton is recorded as being vicar of St Andrew's in about 1340 AD.