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Antiquity

Medieval seals point to an uninterrupted tradition founded in Antiquity. Cameos with deeply engraved images served as seals in Ancient Greece and Rome and were reused continuously from the Merovingian period, examples of which can be seen here in the seals of Migliano di Maestro Luca or the Notary Bondie di Puccio. The communal seal of Capognano imitates, by referring to the city’s name, the antique image of a head in profile, decorated with a medieval Cuffia. In contrast, the seal matrix of the renowned condottiere Galeotto di Malatesta displays, in the manner of an ancient emperor, the curled hair of an unadorned head with great plasticity. The seal of the exiled Florentine Ghibellines, dating from the last decade of the 13th century, portrays a mythological theme in a formal language developed for an Old Testament subject: Hercules’ battle with the Nemean Lion harks back to the representation of the Prophet David’s victory over the Lion, which can be seen on medieval capitals or in illuminated manuscripts. The seal matrix of the bridge tax collector of Rimini, on the other hand, depicts the Arch of Augustus and the Bridge of Tiberius, which were that city’s most significant ancient structures.
Seal ring of Migliano di Maestro Luca with inset engraved gem, 14th century, gold and carnelian, 16x14 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 994) Seal ring of Migliano di Maestro Luca with inset engraved gem, 14th century, gold and carnelian, 16x14 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 994)
Seal ring of Migliano di Maestro Luca with inset engraved gem, 14th century, gold and carnelian, 16x14 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 994) Seal ring of Migliano di Maestro Luca with inset engraved gem, 14th century, gold and carnelian, 16x14 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 994)
Seal of Galeotto de’ Malatesta (matrix), last quarter of the 14th century, bronze, 43 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 951) Seal of Galeotto de’ Malatesta (matrix), last quarter of the 14th century, bronze, 43 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 951)
Seal of the Parte Ghibellina of Florence (matrix), last third of the 14th century, bronze, 56 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 477) Seal of the Parte Ghibellina of Florence (matrix), last third of the 14th century, bronze, 56 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 477)
Seal of the commune of Capognano (matrix), 13th to 14th century, bronze, 48 mm (Florence, Bargello. inv. no. 462) Seal of the commune of Capognano (matrix), 13th to 14th century, bronze, 48 mm (Florence, Bargello. inv. no. 462)
Seal of the bridge toll collector of Rimini (matrix), 14th century, bronze, 38 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 606) Seal of the bridge toll collector of Rimini (matrix), 14th century, bronze, 38 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 606)
Seal of the notary Bondie di Puccio with inset engraved gem (matrix, obverse), 14th century, bronze and carnelian, 18 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 565) Seal of the notary Bondie di Puccio with inset engraved gem (matrix, obverse), 14th century, bronze and carnelian, 18 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 565)
Seal of the notary Bondie di Puccio (matrix, lateral view), 14th century, bronze, height 22 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 565) Seal of the notary Bondie di Puccio (matrix, lateral view), 14th century, bronze, height 22 mm (Florence, Bargello, inv. no. 565)