Bidspirit auction | A Collection of Late 18th

A Collection of Late 18th and 19th-Century Heraldic and Governmental Wax Seal Impressions - An assortment of approximately 50 antique wax seal impressions mounted on four off-white paper sheets. The collection features a variety of heraldic coats of arms, family crests, and official governmental seals executed in red, black, dark brown, green, and teal wax. The items appear to originate from Western Europe, including Dutch, French, and German/Austrian regions. Several seals include legible impressed text or accompanying handwritten ink labels. A large circular red seal is impressed with the text REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE surrounding a central figure. A second large circular red seal is impressed with the text KAIS. KON. GESANDTSCHAFT IN HAAG, referring to the Imperial Royal Legation in The Hague. Accompanying handwritten identifications include Guichert, Ripperda, Pinto, Reynet, v. Heeckeren, Schuylenburg, and Bogaertts. One paper fragment is inscribed Th. de Villeneuve de la Collette, and another indicates Van Leeuwen Alphen aan den Rijn. The seals are mounted on irregular, hand-cut paper segments. Width of largest mounting sheets: 8.5 inches Diameter of seals: 0.5 inches to 2.25 inches. The collection is in a fragile state common for wax of this age. Many seals exhibit significant chipping and loss, particularly the large French Republic seal which is missing a large section on the right side (Photo 10). Several other impressions show surface cracks and fragmented edges (Photo 1, 9). The paper mounts show heavy tanning, foxing, and visible adhesive residue around the seals (Photo 6, 7).