Red Wax Seals: Reconstruction of Historical Technology

Abstract

The results of a comprehensive study of red wax pendent seals attached to the Russian documents of the late 15th–early 18th centuries are presented. Seals of adjacent territories were used for comparison of dyeing technologies for Western European and Russian wax seals. Since the seals included a variety of organic and inorganic materials according to historical data, the set of methods included IR-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction phase analysis, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis, inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry, and gas chromatography with mass-spectrometry. Experimental techniques were tested out on model samples of red seals made from modern beeswax with the use of various pigments: red lead, cinnabar, and lead white. A study of historical seals showed that beeswax, resin, and cinnabar were used in the manufacture of European seals in full accordance with historical data. The composition of Russian seals of the 15th–17th centuries differs from the list of materials purchased for the needs of the Posolsky Prikaz (Ambassadorial Prikaz) responsible for manufacturing state charters. The composition for the seal of Peter the Great (a mixture of beeswax, resin, cinnabar, and red lead) is consistent with the recipes for Russian seals of the early and mid-16th century. Thus, an evolution in the Russian practice of making red wax seals with some difference from synchronous European recipes was traced. It was found that the presence of lead in red historical wax samples is rarely associated with lead coloring pigments, which showed the imperative need for comprehensive studies of wax seals, including X-ray phase and electron microscopy methods.