c1817 Glass Plaster Desk Matrix - Honorem Perseverando Petimus

Seal Detail

A rare and unusual form of hand matrix, the handle of glass of rounded rectangular form, attached to a wrapped paper/card mount and rectangular matrix with rounded corners, likely made of plaster, well engraved but not presented in reverse, so presumably not a wax seal but a presentation piece.  It would appear that the plaster impression mounted here was taken from a seal although why the double-sided impression, one visible through the glass handle?  Nevertheless, the subject placed centrally in the matrix has a motto within a lined border reading:

HONOREM PERSEVERANDO PETIMUS (Neither to seek nor to despise honour)

A seal/matrix relating to Richard Samuel of White Bloomsbury, London.  He was a barrister at Lincolns Inn, London c1817. It is conceivable that this item could have been a memento mori, as was common in those times, to remember a family member/friend when had recently passed. 

Seal Specification

Height:  14mm

Diameter of matrix:  20mmx20mm 

Weight:  14g