An Exceptional Seal Box

Sale: Triton XIII, Lot: 314. Estimate $1000.  Closing Date: Monday, 4 January 2010.  Sold For $1500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Titus. AD 79-81. Æ Seal Box. Piriform-shaped seal box with attached hinged cover: cover decorated with laureate head of Titus left, done in repoussé work; base perforated with three holes for mounting. Overall dimensions: 24mm (length); 17mm (width); 9mm (depth). Weight: 3.51g. Cf. R. Hattatt, Ancient Brooches and other Artefacts (Oxford, 1989), pp. 461ff (for general type); cf. Nomos I, 144 (for cover only, but with head right); cf. http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/roman-seal-boxes.html (for construction and usage information, as well as other examples of the type) . Exceptional for type, intact with fine green patina. Very rare.

This is a particularly fascinating item. When the Romans sent important small packages by courier, such as documents or valuables, they were put in containers that were placed in strong leather or cloth bags, which were then fastened and sealed. The sealing process utilized a stout cord with its knot covered in wax that was impressed with the sender’s signet. To protect this wax seal, it and the knot were encased in a small, ornamental metal box composed of a concave back with two holes for the cord, and a hinged lid to protect the contents. In addition, the lid could be kept closed by further cords sewn to the package and tied around it. Hinged boxes used for this purpose have been found in Britain, where they tend to date to the 2nd and 3rd centuries and are mostly of enameled bronze. However, they certainly started earlier. Hattatt illustrated an example found in Ostia bearing the portraits of Hadrian and Sabina (p. 464, 151) and seal boxes with portraits of Vespasian and Domitian have been found in London and must have been used by high officials (P. Salway, A History of Roman Britain [Oxford 2001], p. 381). This was certainly the case with this piece, especially given its splendid portrait of Titus, which was surely made by workers in the Imperial mint in Rome and then sent out for official use in the provinces.