Great Seal of King Charles V c. 1364th century

This is the Great Seal of King Charles V, and though the artist is anonymous, we can still say a lot about its making. It’s made of silver, and it would have been cast using a mold, with the design incised in negative. Think about the labor that was involved in this process. First, the design had to be conceived and executed in miniature, requiring tremendous skill. Then a mold had to be prepared, and the silver carefully melted and poured. Afterward, the seal would have been refined and finished. The resulting object is both beautiful and functional. It was literally an instrument of power, used to authenticate documents and project the image of the King. The material itself, silver, is precious, contributing to the seal’s aura of authority. But beyond that, we can appreciate the maker’s virtuosity, and the social context that gave rise to such an object. Ultimately, it blurs the lines between art, craft, and political life.