Seal - Victorian intaglio wheel

This Victorian brass multi-face wax seal wheel, crafted in the United Kingdom between c.1850–1900, reflects the era’s fascination with sentiment, symbolism, and refined correspondence.
Ornately decorated, the piece features multiple rotating intaglio faces, each engraved with short moral phrases such as “Such is Life,” “Friendship,” and “Loyalty,” allowing the owner to select an appropriate motto to impress into warm sealing wax.

The intaglio engraving technique — where the design is carved in reverse and recessed into the metal — ensured crisp, raised impressions when pressed into wax. During the Victorian period, sealing letters was both practical and expressive, and such motto seals conveyed personal values, affection, and social identity.

At the centre, the remains of a black (likely stone) intaglio seal is still set, bearing the initials “A W”, likely representing the original owner. Crafted in durable brass, this wheel form combines elegance with functionality, embodying the sentimentality and craftsmanship characteristic of nineteenth-century Britain.

Specimen Details:

• Specimen: Victorian Brass Multi-Face Wax Seal Wheel

• Origin: United Kingdom

• Age/Era: Post medieval, Victorian, Circa 1850–1900

• Material: Brass

• Decoration: Ornate with multiple rotating intaglio motto seals

• Central Intaglio: Partial seal with initials “A W”

Provenance note-

This specimen was previously part of a UK private collection of artefacts that has been studied, researched and verified by an expert in the Industry with over 25 years experience, as part of his own collection.

Shipped from the UK safely and insured worldwide.