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Seal matrix

Seal matrix
Seal matrix
Seal matrix
Object name 
Seal matrix
Date 
ca. 1646
Medium 
Silver
Dimensions 
Overall: 1 1/4 x 1 5/8 in. ( 3.2 x 4.1 cm ) Silver Weight: 1 oz (troy) 17 dwt (58 g)
Description 
Cast and engraved silver seal matrix of Peter Stuyvesant; circular matrix engraved with the arms of the Stuyvesant family, a running stag below a hound chasing a hare in a shield, shield surmounted by the family crest, a demi-stag jumping out of a prince's crown, and foliate scrolls; feathered border around the edge with an inscription along the border; engraved in Latin, "S. PET: STUYVESANT: N: BELGII ET CURACO. INS. GUBERNATOR" [Seal of Peter Stuyvesant, Director General of New Netherland and Curacao] in roman letters; cylindrical hinge applied vertically down the reverse; double s-scroll topped by a loop, applied to the hinge.
Credit Line 
Gift of Robert Van Rensselaer Stuyvesant
Object Number 
1909.34
Marks 
engraved: around the edge: "S. PET: STUYVESANT: N: BELGII ET CURACO. INS. GUBERNATOR" in roman letters
Gallery Label 
This seal belonged to Peter Stuyvesant (1610-1672), Director General of New Netherland from 1646 until the colony came under British rule in 1664.
Provenance 
Governor Peter Stuyvesant (1592-1672), m. Judith Bayard 1645; to their son Nicholas William Stuyvesant (1648-1698), m. Maria Beekman 1672; to their son Gerardus Stuyvesant (1690-1777), m. Judith Bayard 1722; to their son Petrus Stuyvesant (1727-1805), m. Margaret Livingston 1764; to their son Nicholas William Stuyvesant (1769-1833) m. Catherine Livingston Reade 1795; to their son Peter Stuyvesant (1796-1860), m. Julia Rebecca Martin, 1827; to their son Robert Van Rensselaer Stuyvesant (1838-1918), the donor.
Bibliography 
Krohn, Deborah, Peter Miller, and Marybeth De Filippis, eds., "Dutch New York Between East and West: The World of Margrieta van Varick." New York: Bard Graduate Center, New-York Historical Society, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009, p. 177-178
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
Creative: Tronvig Group