19th Century Pomponne Seal Set With A Glass Paste Intaglio Depicting Hope

Elegant 19th century wax seal in pomponne, set with a large translucent pink glass paste intaglio.

The engraved matrix depicts a draped female figure leaning upon an anchor, the traditional allegory of Hope inherited from the antique and neoclassical repertoire.

The mount, particularly sculptural in appearance, displays a richly worked neo-antique design. Its architectural quality recalls certain refined personal objects produced during the Empire and Restoration periods.

Unlike many purely decorative neoclassical revival seals or Grand Tour souvenirs of the 19th century, this example shows clear signs of genuine use. The matrix was evidently employed to seal correspondence, giving the object a deeply personal and lived presence.

A charming cabinet object at the crossroads of jewellery, desk accessory and sentimental keepsake.

Dimensions:
Height: 3 cm
Matrix: 2 × 2.5 cm

Condition:
Wear and minor marks consistent with age and use. Beautiful decorative presence.

We are particularly fond of those small 19th century objects that still retain traces of the life once attached to them.

This seal does not appear to have been conceived merely as an archaeological fantasy or a Grand Tour curiosity destined only for display. It was genuinely used. The matrix still bears the discreet marks of sealed letters, repeated gestures, and an intimacy now long vanished.

The choice of the allegory of Hope, resting upon her anchor, adds an almost literary dimension to the piece. Somewhere between a personal object, a miniature jewel and a fragment of imagined antiquity, this seal possesses the singular presence we always seek in cabinet objects.