Georgian Desk Seal Wheel

Cool Georgian desk seal in the form a wheel - a seal wheel, if you will. It dates from the Regency period, circa 1810, and as such the seals are fun and whimsical - many of them incorporating rebus puzzles. Designed to give the recipient (of the letters) a sneak peak of what's to come (either literally, or tongue-in-cheek, I guess). The powder-blue tassies to either side are thistles and a forget-me-not flower, and the seals on the outer wheel include: QUICK 🚂; FAREWELL 🦋; TRUTH ✋❤️ LOVE; EVER FAITHFUL 🐕; MARK AND OBEY 🐴; WHILE I LIVE I'LL CROW 🐓. The Georgian Regency era, officially 1811-1820, arguably saw the pinnacle of letter writing. The educated upper classes would have been able to write their own letters, and indeed seal them closed with their own personal intaglio (perhaps a family crest or monogram, or, if titled, their own heraldic shield), but anyone else who wanted to correspond via letter was unlikely to have learned to read and write, so would have employed the services of their local scribe. For a small fee, the scribe would write down a dictated letter, then offer the sender a choice of seals by which to secure the envelope. The seals would, then, have to convey a broad selection of messages - some serious, some jovial, some thoroughly tongue in cheek - and not being from the upper classes themselves, the scribe certainly wouldn't have had the financial means to purchase a set of solid gold seal fobs... gold cased, gilt, or even base metal would certainly have done the job. Era: Georgian, circa 1810 Size: 2.7cm by 2.9cm Stone: Paste seals Marks: None, tested as base metal Condition: Good antique condition; light wear/patina consistent with age and use.