Commercial Stamp
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
Stamps and seals indicating ownership or manufacture were very important during the Early Byzantine period. Artisans and merchants applied stamps to their products, and people used them in homes to secure closets and chests. The loops on the back allowed the stamps to be worn as rings, making them always available. The Greek inscription on this example translates as "Drink Good Wine". It was used to seal large casks of wine.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
George Zacos, Istanbul and Geneva, by purchase; Constantin A. Marinescu [Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd.], New York [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1993, by purchase.
Measurements
H: 1 x Diam: 2 3/8 in. (2.6 x 6 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1993
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.2838