This Dragon and crown seal by Artelier Gargoyle is incredible. I had a hard time picking which seal to post. Ultimately my zodiac won—-it’s my birthday soon afterall. The Bear seal and Devil seal are among my other favorites.
A description:
"This seal has an intricately carved Achievement of Arms, almost unbelievably complex, that seems to have it all: one crown, two coronets, two crests ‘in the air’, an eagle rising out of a coronet, and a lion couchant bearing a flag. The ornate and multi-quartered shield is supported by two magnificent and marvelously engraved winged dragons rampant. Behind the shield is a double-headed eagle, one head looking East, one looking West, with a coronet about their necks. Each eagle holds a ring in its beak. Beneath all is a ribbon-like scroll bearing the motto in Spanish: “Ipsi Pero Desdichado.” (By Myself but Incomplete). Says Ward Dunham (Atelier Gargoyle partner and seal collector): “This is the most complex heraldic engraving I have ever encountered, and is one of my favorite seals in our collection.”
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 eighteenth century, hand-engraved in carnelian. Twenty years ago, when we first started experimenting with reproducing our seals in bronze, the bronzeworks was vandalized, and this very special one-of-a-kind seal, a museum piece, was among the items stolen. So if you see it on the second-hand market, let us know, we’re offering a $5000 reward for the return (no questions asked) of our treasure. Fortunately, our rubber molds had already been made, and we now have these spectacular reproductions.”
Amazing, eh? I’ll think about the stolen seal at every flea market I go to for evermore.
