The Rawlinson collection of seal matrices in the University of Oxford is
the most important early collection of European seal matrices to survive
This book contains previously unpublished data and all new color
photography The Rawlinson collection of seal matrices in the University
of Oxford is the most important early collection of European seal
matrices to survive. Created by Dr. Richard Rawlinson (1690-1755) in the
first half of the eighteenth century, it consists of 830 matrices
ranging in date from the 13th to the early 18th century. It includes the
collection of seal matrices formed by Giovanni Andrea Lorenzani, a Roman
bronze caster, which Rawlinson acquired in Rome together with a
catalogue written in 1708. This collection is primarily Italian, but the
Rawlinson collection also includes examples from many other countries
England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany Spain, and
Scandinavia as well as Italy. The study of seals was much neglected in
the middle of the twentieth century, but the study now attracts greater
interest. This is due to their visual appeal, sense of identity and
their representation of symbols. This book will appeal to a wide variety
of readers from those interested in collecting, Jacobitism, history of
the early eighteenth century, the Grand Tour, antiquaries, and seals and
seal matrices. This book has four introductory chapters which set the
scene for the collecting of seal matrices, tell the life of Richard
Rawlinson and Giovanni Andrea Lorenzani, analyze their collections and
relate the history of the collection after Rawlinson's death in 1755.
One hundred seals, all illustrated, are described in detail, with much
unpublished data, and an indication is given of the contribution they
make to the sigillography of the different countries. Contents:
Foreword; Abbreviations; Seals and Seal Matrices; Dr. Richard Rawlinson
DCL; Giovanni Andrea Lorenzani; The Content of the Rawlinson Collection;
From Bodleian to Ashmolean; Catalogue; Bibliography; Concordance."
