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Impression in Wax • Click to enlarge

Emperor Hadrian Seal

This seal is an intaglio portrait, exquisitely and deeply carved, of the young Emperor Hadrian, bearded, in his toga, and with a laurel wreath about his crown. “HADRIANVS” is carved along the side. Hadrian became Roman Emperor at the death of Trajan, in 117 AD. He is known as one of the “Five Good Emperors” along with Nerva, Trajan, and the two Antonines. Hadrian toured his empire for eleven years, and built the famous “Hadrian’s Wall” at the northernmost part of his empire (in northern England) to keep Roman Britain safe from the hostile northern “barbarians.” He was known as a brilliant administrator and kept his empire stable and relatively peaceful for 20 years. He was devoted to religion, the law, the arts, and civilized culture. It is known what Hadrian looked like because of his portraits on coins, and this seal is similar to his likeness on the Roman denarius. This is a dramatic and powerful seal; ideal for adorning the correspondence of the strong and elegant gentleman in your life (doctor, lawyer, history buff). Note: because of the extreme depth of this seal, it requires a lot of wax per impression.

This seal is a jewelry-quality casting in bronze from the original seal, and the wood handle is turned in beautiful and incredibly durable black walnut, lightly finished. The original seal is an antique from the Victorian era (nineteenth century); engraved in rich, ruby red Tasse Glass.

Seal Face is oval,
approximately .75 x 1.1 in (1.4 x 3 cm)

Height, from face to top of handle: 4 in (10 cm)

Bronze face, black walnut handle

Price includes one complimentary stick of sealing wax and velvet pouch

Price: $200

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Seal with Handle