Interesting Early 19thC French Revolutionary De-faced Town Desk Seal - LOCHES

Seal Description

An interesting turn of the 19th century French wood and brass desk seal, the beechwood handle of organ-stopper form to a brass collar and oval brass matrix, engraved with a central inscription reading:

LA NATION LA LOI (ET LE ROI - defaced)

within a floral garland and outer inscription within a lined border reading:

MUNICIPALITE. DE ROCHES. 

A seal for the town of Roches, a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France.  Of particular interest is the rather crudely de-facing of the script LE LOI, a clear attempt to erase any support or acknowledgement for the royal household during the French Revolution, dating this seal post 1789 and likely to be around 1800.  This is a fine example of the social upheaval that ensued from the Revolution and the everyday efforts that were made to conform to the current political trend.

Seal Specification

Height:  70mm

Diameter of matrix:  25mmx30mm

Weight:  39g