Sealing Wax Box thumbnail 1
Sealing Wax Box thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Metalware, Room 116, The Belinda Gentle Gallery

Sealing Wax Box

1656 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The inscription on this sealing wax case is a pun on the maker’s name: Maden or Madin (pronounced "maiden"), a Sheffield family of cutlers. ‘I was in Sheffeild made & many can Wittnes:, I was not made by any man.’

Important documents were sealed by pressing an engraved seal into hot wax. The writer's initials or family crest indicated who sent the document, and if the seal was unbroken, it proved that no-one had tampered with it.

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Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Brass, cast and engraved
Brief description
Brass, ENGLISH; dated 1656. Inscribed, I was in Sheffield made and many can Wittness, I was not made by any man. Probably made by Madin or Maden, an old cutlery making family; the initials on the seal, TB.
Given by Miss Ethel Gurney; Brasswork
Physical description
Brass sealing wax case and seal. Cast and engraved decoration. Inscribed: Inscribed 'TD' on seal and on body 'I was in Sheffeild made & many can Wittnes:, I was not made by any man'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 11.2cm
  • Width: 2.1cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'I was in Sheffeild made & many can Wittnes:, I was not made by any man' (Inscribed on body. The inscription on this sealing wax case is a pun on the makers' name Maden or Madin, a Sheffield family of cutlers)
  • 'TD' (Inscribed on seal)
Summary
The inscription on this sealing wax case is a pun on the maker’s name: Maden or Madin (pronounced "maiden"), a Sheffield family of cutlers. ‘I was in Sheffeild made & many can Wittnes:, I was not made by any man.’

Important documents were sealed by pressing an engraved seal into hot wax. The writer's initials or family crest indicated who sent the document, and if the seal was unbroken, it proved that no-one had tampered with it.
Collection
Accession number
M.149-1922

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Record createdNovember 1, 2004
Record URL
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