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Auction: 9026 - Ancient. English, Foreign Coins & Com. Medals
Lot: 912

Wax Seals of Ancient Gems, by James Tassie (1735-1799), a group of sixteen red wax seals in oval mounts, each mount numbered and identified according to Tassie´s own catalogue; numbers 10510, 10620, 10624, 10632, 10710, 10718, 10731, 10841, 10889, 10941, 10944, 10954, 11009, 1157, 11806, 12108, very good condition (16) Estimate £ 100-200 James Tassie was the most prolific collector and merchant of impressions of classical gems of the eighteenth century, providing sets and selections of impressions in a variety of materials. His collection is the most comprehensive of its day. Its 15,800 items were classified and described by Erich Raspe, and the catalogue printed in 1791 in English and French: A Descriptive Catalogue of a General Collection of Ancient and Modern Engraved Gems, Cameos and Intaglios, Taken from the Most Celebrated Cabinets in Europe; and Cast in Coloured Pastes, White Enamel, and Sulphur. The book is widely accessible but only three complete sets of impressions are known, in Edinburgh (Tassie´s home), London (Victoria and Albert Museum), and St Petersburg, where Catherine the Great ordered a set in 1783.

Sold for
£450