English
18th century
Crystal intaglio
Size 1 3/8" (3.5 cm)
Provenance: Removed from Lord Byron's effects after his death; private collection, Auckland, NZ
With label on reverse: "This seal was removed from Lord Byron's effects after his death"
This carved crystal intaglio seal depicts a helmeted classical profile in the manner typical of 18th-century English and Continental gem engraving, a form of portable luxury object that was widely collected and used for correspondence by figures of rank and literary culture. George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) was among the most celebrated English Romantic poets and a collector of objects with classical and martial associations, consistent with the subject matter of this seal. The label on the reverse, recording that the seal was removed from Byron's effects after his death in Missolonghi in 1824, provides the primary chain of custody for the object.
The crystal is carved with precision and clarity, the helmeted figure rendered in confident intaglio with crisp detail in the facial features and the crest of the helmet. At 1 3/8" this is a working seal of the kind used to impress wax on correspondence, small enough to be carried and personal enough to have remained among Byron's possessions at his death. The piece comes from a private collection in Auckland, New Zealand, and retains the original label that documents its removal from Byron's estate.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
English
18th century
Crystal intaglio
Size 1 3/8" (3.5 cm)
Provenance: Removed from Lord Byron's effects after his death; private collection, Auckland, NZ
With label on reverse: "This seal was removed from Lord Byron's effects after his death"
This carved crystal intaglio seal depicts a helmeted classical profile in the manner typical of 18th-century English and Continental gem engraving, a form of portable luxury object that was widely collected and used for correspondence by figures of rank and literary culture. George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) was among the most celebrated English Romantic poets and a collector of objects with classical and martial associations, consistent with the subject matter of this seal. The label on the reverse, recording that the seal was removed from Byron's effects after his death in Missolonghi in 1824, provides the primary chain of custody for the object.
The crystal is carved with precision and clarity, the helmeted figure rendered in confident intaglio with crisp detail in the facial features and the crest of the helmet. At 1 3/8" this is a working seal of the kind used to impress wax on correspondence, small enough to be carried and personal enough to have remained among Byron's possessions at his death. The piece comes from a private collection in Auckland, New Zealand, and retains the original label that documents its removal from Byron's estate.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
