Gerry's Collection
of Antique Wax Seal Stamps
The Black Collection
Antique wax seal stamps with black ebonized wood handles, mostly turned from European hardwoods
Ref 292 - ♥♥♥♥♥
​
Research relating to this old seal could suggest a possible - though unconfirmed - connection between a family known as de La Fitte (also written de La Fite) and a modern Armagnac brand. The de La Fitte family was an established noble house of Guyenne, Gascogne, and Bigorre, with documented origins reaching at least the 12th century and a continuous filiation from the 15th century. It belonged to the provincial nobility and held numerous seigneuries, including Urac, Omex, Clavé, and Moulya, with a territorial presence between Aiguillon and Villeneuve. The family appears primarily of military character, producing officers, governors, and chevaliers of royal orders, and holding representation in the Estates of Bigorre. Titles within the lineage are historically attested: a comital title granted under Louis XIV, followed by the creation of a marquisate within the same house. A related branch, known as de La Fite (or de La Fitte) de Pelleport, appears in later sources and is generally considered part of the broader family, despite variations in spelling. The Armagnac brand Comte de Lafitte - interestingly - uses very similar arms. However, no reliable source could confirm a genealogical connection between this noble family and the modern brand. More research is needed.
Ref 293 - ♥♥♥♥♥
​
This seal was very likely used by Benjamin de Lacger-Camplong (1784–1831) and Adélaïde de Perrin-Brassac (1795–1862), whose marriage in 1821 provides a strong historical context for its creation. The engraved composition displays an alliance of arms that can be read with confidence. On the left appears the coat of arms of the de Lacger family - azure with a lion and a chief charged with three roundels -while on the right are arms consistent with the Perrin or Perrin de La Fabrie lineage, characterized by horizontal fasces. The style and execution of the seal, notably the twin oval shields, supporters, and coronet, point to a production in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, which aligns well with the period of this documented union. Earlier alliances between the Lacger and Perrin families, such as that of 1576, can therefore be excluded on stylistic grounds. A more elaborate quartered arms associated with the Lacger-Camplong family branch incorporate several allied families, including Perrin, confirming the long-standing connection between these lineages. The seal simplifies this heraldic complexity into a direct marital alliance, as was customary. Although the coronet engraved above the shields corresponds to that of a count, whereas Benjamin de Lacger is recorded as a baron, such discrepancies are not uncommon. Heraldic practice on seals was sometimes approximate, and engravers occasionally used generic noble coronets. Taken together, the heraldic evidence, stylistic dating, and genealogical records make this attribution both coherent and highly plausible.
Gerry's Collection of Antique Seal Stamps.