Pages: 249-259

The article addresses the seal of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, held in the Archives of the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The artifact comes from N. P. Likhachev’s collection, and its earlier history is unknown. On its surface, there are clearly visible traces of remaking, which indicates the deliberate transformation of the matrix into a decorative element or amulet. The seal is made of copper-base alloy containing zinc (27.3 %), lead (1.3 %) and nickel (0.2 %). A trasological analysis revealed a number of technological features of the matrix. There are markers suggesting that the whole image, including the letters in the legend, was first produced as a wax model, which was then used for the lost wax casting. No traces of post-casting refinement on the matrix surface were found. Most of the legend letters were probably made with the help of a set of stamps consisting of small modules and whole letters.

Keywords: Western Europe, Middle Ages, Hospitallers, sigillography, XRF, ICP-MS, Copper Alloys, analysis of trace

Information about authors:

Anastasia Loboda (Moscow, Russian Federation). National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”. Academician Kurchatov Sq., 1, Moscow, 123098, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Ekaterina Nosova (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Saint Petersburg Institute of History, Russian Academy of Sciences. Petrozavodskaya St., 7, Saint Petersburg, 197110, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Vasily Retivov (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate in Chemistry. National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”. Academician Kurchatov Sq., 1, Moscow, 123098, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Elizaveta Chernobakhtova (Moscow, Russian Federation). National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”. Academician Kurchatov Sq., 1, Moscow, 123098, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Dmitrii Veber (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Saint Petersburg State University. Universitetskaya Emb., 7/9, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Elena Tereschenko (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate in Physics and Mathematics. National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”. Academician Kurchatov Sq., 1, Moscow, 123098, Russian Federation; Institute of Crystallography named after A. V. Shubnikov, Federal Research Center “Crystallography and Photonics” Russian Academy of Sciences. Lenin Ave., 59, Moscow, 119333, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Ekaterina Yatsishina (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate in Philosophy. National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”. Academician Kurchatov Sq., 1, Moscow, 123098, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]