Featured Antique ?? Seal ...a few questions

Grabbed this in a $2 box at an estate sale.

Any guesses whether it's antique for a start? Also w

ould the stone handle be Sodalite? Thanks.

 

Virtus in Ardius.

Debora

 

Thanks, Debora. Would it be a family crest just using that motto? I'm wondering if this was sort of a novelty piece or exactly what it would be used for. Also age, etc. Keep the thoughts coming!

 

it's not new....and very nice !

 

A little easier to read.

 

From the internet:

"Virtus in Arduis is the motto commonly associated with the following families:

Ashburton; Cockain; Cullen; Cockane; Gamon; Macqueen."

You can check those family's coat of arms but may be a fantasy.

Debora

 

Or...In Arduis Virtus: On the slopes of the Virtue.

Better yet: Virtus in Arduis Power on the slopes
Google Translate

 

I'll lean against it being a fantasy piece...

 

Wouldn't it read In Arduis Virtus when stamped? (flipped image)

 

I'm laughing! Of course, you're right. (I'd make a terrible spy.)

Debora

 

And I was laughing at how I confused myself by flipping it

 

These model seals were higly fashionable in the 19th century up to early 20th.
Each one with a family weapon, a company, a bit serious job status, financial or social status, everyone who fealth itself 'important' had one to join the hype.
Some with real family weapon, and others with fantasy signs. From simple design (not that rich) up to highly expencive decorated gold (rich). It was to show off.
Almost each bit nice antique store here has at least one for sale up to collections to choose.

More info
https://www.google.com/search?q=19t...gkKD8AhUFRuUKHS8pC0AQ_AUIBigB&biw=360&bih=628

2 bucks?? A steal! Can i buy it for 5, you 150% profit? (just kidding)
Congrats with this beautifull find.
Hope you find it's background. That's always fun

 

Ah, and here I was expecting to scroll down to see a cute fuzzy animal..lol. Still a neat find!

 

Thanks for all the help with this everyone.

I tried to flip the image myself -- I could not figure it out! Seemed to flip it in all ways except the one I wanted. Thank you for managing it SIS.

 

Great find for $2.

 

SUPER FIND FOR THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

@Lucille.b, on the side where it says "VIRTUS", in the edging, I see a bit of printing.....can you read it??? It may mean nothing, and it looks rusty, but might be worth checking out! (And HORIZONTAL is the way you wanted to flip it....it can be kind of funky to figure sometimes!!)

​

 

I think this desk seal is genuinely antique at this point, but faux in other ways. It's easy to see now that the fittings were once meant to look like gold but are clearly not. The handle I think was meant to look like lapis - not sure sodalite was much in use as a gemstone at the time - but suspect it is actually porcelain. The matrix, the working part of the seal, is meant look like nicolo: sardonyx that has had the dark layer dyed black & the white layer ground to be thin enough for the black to show, giving that bluish appearance. However, it think the intaglio is glass.

 

These seals were faux from the beginning. They were for showing of and nothing more. As then they were not common anymore and without any significance, just fashionable, hype, to impress.
Aka faux for start. Kind of 'neo-classic seal revival'.

... but 19th century, 100+ years old, so antique what @Lucille.b asked.

 

Lovely, Lucille. And I agree, antique, and well used.

Peruzzi used sodalite in the late 19th and early 20th century in their silver jewellery, but I always thought that rather unusual.
Russians also used quite a lot of sodalite around the same time, but this doesn't strike me as Russian.