Great seal of the Commonwealth
The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom (prior to the Treaty of Union the Great Seal of England, then until the Union of 1801 the Great Seal of Great Britain) is a seal that is used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of important state documents. Sealing wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to make official. Sealing wax is a wax material of a seal which, after melting, quickly hardens (to paper, parchment, ribbons and wire, and other material) forming a bond that is difficult to separate without noticeable tampering. Wax is used to verify something such as a document is unopened, to verify the sender's identity, for example with a signet ring, and as decoration. Sealing wax can be used to take impressions of other seals. Wax was used to seal letters close and later (from about the 16th century) envelopes. (Before sealing wax, the Romans used bitumen for this purpose.)
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Photo credit: © SOTK2011 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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