Seal Impression, Municipal Seal of Middelburg
Unknown Artist
ca. 1374
Medium
Brown wax
Dimensions
wax seal only: 2 11/16 in. × 1/2 in. (6.8 × 1.2 cm) with attachment ribbons: 5 9/16 × 3 11/16 × 1/2 in. (14.1 × 9.4 × 1.2 cm)
Classification
Miscellaneous-Wax
Culture
Netherlandish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of H.P. Kraus, 1981
Accession Number
1981.534.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the medieval world of civic pride with this striking *Seal Impression, Municipal Seal of Middel*, crafted around 1374 in the Netherlands. Made from brown wax and measuring just 2 11/16 by 1/2 inches (with ribbons extending it to nearly 5 9/16 inches), this delicate artifact once authenticated official documents for the bustling port city of Middelburg in Zeeland. Its survival, complete with attachment ribbons, offers a rare glimpse into the administrative heart of late medieval Europe. Wax seals like this were essential tools of governance, pressed into soft wax to create raised imp...