Monday, December 30, 2013

GEORGIAN MEMENTO MORI SKULL AND CROSSBONES ARMORIAL WAX SEAL MATRIX



Soon to be listed to Metal Corset II is this late 1700s early 1800s French memento mori armorial wax seal matrix depicting a skull and crossbones inside a shield topped with a winged helmet flanked by the initials H V G.

Most likely a 1700s early 1800s Freemason seal which gained its root from the traditions of the York Rite Chivalric Orders.

Here's an interesting link on the history of memento mori symbolism and Freemasonry:
http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/skull-bones.html

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

PRE-GEORGIAN 1690S MEMENTO MORI ENAMELED SKELETON AND FACETED STUART CRYSTAL MOURNING SLIDE



An extremely fine example of a faceted Stuart Crystal memento mori slide with an enameled skeleton holding a staff in one hand and a tempus fugit (hourglass symbolizing "time flees") in the other.

The skeleton rests upon a bed of brunette hair and is flanked by two high karat gold cipher wire initials.

The sawtooth bezel slide case is 22 karat gold.