The White Collection
Seal Stamps with White Handles in Bone, Horn, Ivory, and Mother-of-Pearl
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Ref 188 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This is a double-ended wax seal stamp, an elegant and relatively uncommon type of noble seal. Such designs were particularly fashionable in the late 18th to early 19th century, especially in France, Italy, and parts of Germany. This configuration was most often used to display the heraldic arms of a married couple, one end bearing the husband’s arms, the other those of his wife’s family or, as in this example, a monogram. The owner has yet to be identified.
Ref 189 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal stamp with an elaborate ivory handle belonged to a member of the de Lastic family. The House of Lastic is one of the oldest families of Auvergne. Its patronymic name is Bompar. The Château de Lastic was situated on a hill between Saint-Flour and Brioude. This family produced distinguished figures throughout the centuries, among them Jean de Lastic, Grand Master of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. The lineage of this house has been documented since 1211. The arms of the lastic family are simple: Gules, a Fess Argent. But behind the shield on the engraving, we can see the cross of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller. An eight-point Maltese Cross, also called the Cross of Saint John, representing a Hospitaller’s virtues: Reverence for the Church, piety, loyalty, courage, honor and glory, caring for the sick or poor, disregard for death, and honesty.
Charles Renaud de Lastic, chevalier de Saint Jean de Jérusalem, 1728
Antique seal stamp of a member of the de Lastic family,
from Auvergne in France
Jean de Lastic, Grand Maitre de Rhodes
19th century, Chateau de Versailles
Ref 190 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal is engraved with a simple but elegant coat of arms: Per fess Argent and Azure, in chief a lion rampant. The shield is supported by a lion on the dexter side and, apparently, a dog on the sinister side, while a coronet surmounts the achievement, suggesting that its owner belonged to the nobility. At first sight, these arms appear distinctive. However, research has shown that they were borne, with slight variations, by several unrelated noble families across Europe. Comparable arms can be found among the Nourroy family in France, the de Conink family in Belgium, the von Endingen family in the German-speaking lands, and the Afengerghe family in the Netherlands. Although each family presents minor heraldic differences- whether in the crest, supporters, or coronet - the central design of the shield is remarkably similar. While the seal itself appears to be an authentic antique piece of fine quality, its original owner has so far remained elusive. The absence of an inscription or initials on the seal, makes a secure attribution difficult.
Ref 191 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This refined antique seal stamp, with its delicately carved ivory handle crowned by a finely engraved comital coronet, bears the alliance arms of General Pierre-Louis Charles de Failly and Félicité de Frézals de Bourfaud. The de Failly family, originally from Lorraine, belonged to the military nobility of service, noted for their loyalty to France and the Empire. Pierre-Louis Charles de Failly (1810–1892) served as Minister of War under Napoleon. His wife, Félicité de Frézals de Bourfaud, came from an old noble family of Languedoc, whose roots reach back to the ancien régime. The Frézals de Bourfaud were landowners and magistrates, bearing arms of ancient extraction, emblematic of southern France’s hereditary nobility. The ivory handle mirrors the refinement of mid-19th-century aristocratic taste, making this stamp a small work of art.
General Pierre-Louis Charles de Failly
1810-1892
Crown engraved with the alliance seal of General Pierre-Louis Charles de Failly and Félicité de Frézals de Bourfaud.
Jean-Louis-Bernard de Frezals de Bourfaud
1708-1786
Ref 192 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This nicely carved seal stamp is engraved with the alliance arms of Louis Tardy de Montravel and Marie Amélie Vétillart du Ribert. The Tardy de Montravel family belonged to the ancient nobility of Vivarais (today’s Ardèche), long associated with local seigneurial and military service. Originally styled vicomtes de Montravel, the family derived its title from the fief of Montravel near Tournon-sur-Rhône, a vicomté held since at least the seventeenth century. Under the Bourbon Restoration, the family was recognized with the higher title of Comte de Montravel, reflecting both its loyalty to the monarchy and its service in the royal navy and administration. Among its most renowned members was Louis-Marie-François Tardy de Montravel (1811–1864), rear-admiral, explorer, and governor of New Caledonia and French Guiana. The bride’s family, the Vétillart du Ribert, originated in Maine and the Sarthe, where it rose through commerce, public office, and the professional elite during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Their heraldic arms, often quartered or impaled with those of allied provincial nobles, signaled the family’s entry into the noblesse de robe and later the landed gentry. The marriage thus reflected a typical alliance of the age: the union of an older military aristocracy with an ascending bourgeois family of education and means. The seal was acquired together with the description, hand-written by their son Henri.
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Antoine-Jean-Louis de Tardy de Montravel (1823 - 1909)
Handwritten note: Seal in silver and ivory of my mother, born Amelie V. de Ribert. Signature of Henri, youngest son of Antoine Louis and Marie Amelie. "Arms: de Tardy de Montravel and Vetillart du Ribert.".
Louise Vétillart du Ribert and her daughter Louise, the future comtesse de Lezay-Marnesia
Coat of arms of Antoine-Jean-Louis de Tardy, vicomte de Montravel
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Jean François Damien Tardy de Montravel
(1744 - 1805)
Ref 193 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This very small 19th-century seal stamp combines refined craftsmanship with elegant symbolism. It belonged to a member of the Boys d’Hautussac de Pravier family. The handle, carved from ivory, is decorated with finely sculpted grape clusters and vine leaves, motifs traditionally associated with abundance and Bacchic inspiration. The mount and matrix are made of silver. The coat of arms engraved on the matrix is described as follows: Per pale: in the first, gold with a green wood in base, and in chief a blue field charged with a rising silver stag (Hautussac); in the second, red with a gold bend accompanied by two silver garden lilies (Pravieux). Because of the extremely small size of the seal, the heraldic details are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. Proper identification of the arms requires a magnified image, without which many of the finer elements remain hard to discern.
Ref 194 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This ivory seal stamp belonged to General Charles-Étienne-François Ruty (1774 - 1828), one of Napoleon’s foremost artillery officers. Educated at the artillery school of Châlons, he served from the Revolutionary campaigns through the Empire, earning distinction in Egypt, Spain, and at Friedland. Created Baron in 1808 and Count of the Empire in 1813, he embodied the meritocratic spirit of Napoleonic France. After 1814 he continued to serve under the restored Bourbon kings, receiving the Order of Saint-Louis and the Grand Officer cross of the Legion of Honor, and later sat as a Peer of France. His name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe of Paris, a lasting tribute to his service. Married to Lucie Charlotte Lecocq, he was the father of Anatole de Ruty, also Count and Peer of France. A soldier, engineer, and statesman, he united discipline, intellect, and loyalty to France.
General Charles Etienne Francois Ruty
Arms of Charles Etienne Francois, Count Ruty
Name on the Arc the Triomphe in Paris
Ref 195 - ♥♥♥♥♥
While my collection originates from Europe, this old Siamese ivory seal stamp is of particular interest. Both because its engraving echoes European heraldic composition and because of the significance of its symbols. In European terminology, the arms could be described as: “Tierced per pall: 1. A high ceremonial hat; 2. A chakra; 3. A cannon”. The high ceremonial hat (พระมาลาเส้าสูง) was worn by Siamese royals, nobles and high-ranking officials, especially from the Ayutthaya and early Rattanakosin periods. It is often associated with formal dress, processions, and court rank. The finest examples were adorned with gold and diamonds and trimmed with a bird-of-paradise feather. The chakra pattern (ลายจักร) is a potent emblem in Thai tradition, representing nobility, authority, and the power to govern. In classical Thai art, any form of the chakra or wheel is associated with Royalty and with the capacity to “set things in motion.” The white chakra was added to the Siamese flag in the early Rattanakosin period by King Rama I, exclusively for royal use.
High ceremonial hat
Traditional Chakra pattern
Cannons of the Siamese army
The Thai flags
Ref 196 - ♥♥♥♥♥
As indicated by the coat of arms, this stamp most likely belonged to a member of the du Ruel d’Omonville family who married a lady of the Duval family, also known as du Val de Bonneval. Both families were from Normandy. Within the du Ruel lineage, the Fontenil branch became extinct in the 17th century, while the Omonville branch was maintained as noble in 1667. A prominent figure was Pierre du Ruel, Marquis de Beurnonville, whose line shared common ancestry with the du Ruel de Fontenil and du Ruel d’Omonville branches. The presence of a marquis’s coronet engraved on the seal suggests a connection with the Beurnonville line. It is therefore plausible that the seal belonged to descendants of the marquises de Beurnonville, possibly Pierre-Joseph du Ruel and Léopoldine-Alexandrine Duval d’Angoville, who married in the 19th century. The Duval family is a noble house of seigneurial rank (écuyers and seigneurs).
Arms of the du Ruel family, Or, a lion issuant
The arms of the Duval de Bonneval family
Pierre du Ruel, Marquis de Beurnonville
Ref 197 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal stamp is distinguished by its finely carved ivory handle, whose sculptural quality goes beyond purely functional design. The handle is worked in the round, with a rich ornamental repertoire including clusters of fruit, foliage, and twisted cord-like elements. The matrix itself bears the engraved arms of the du Pré family (now extinct). The du Pré were an old noble lineage from the Low Countries, active notably in Brabant and Flanders. Members of the family held military, administrative, and courtly offices under the Burgundian and Habsburg rulers. One of the best-known figures is Célestin du Pré, whose career reflects the family’s integration into the political and aristocratic elites of the region. This seal thus combines refined craftsmanship with a clear expression of noble identity.
Ref 198 - ♥♥♥♥♥
Looking at the oval shields of the alliance coat of arms engraved on this beautiful seal stamp, we can assume that it belonged to Jeanne de Perrey (1839 - 1925), who was married to Ithier d'Avout (1840 - 1900), Marquis d’Avout. Ithier d’Avout belonged to the old Burgundian noble family d’Avout, made famous by Louis-Nicolas Davout, Duke of Auerstaedt and Prince of Eckmühl. Although Ithier was not from the ducal branch itself, he descended from the extended noble lineage, which continued to use armorial bearings associated with the family, often simplified or adapted in alliance arms. Jeanne de Perrey came from a noble family whose arms - de gueules, à quatre losanges d'or en bande, accostées de deux croissants d'argent - are less well-known. The de Perrey (or Perrey) family belongs to the category of provincial nobility or notable families, mainly documented in eastern France, such as Burgundy, Franche-Comté, Lorraine.
Leopold-Claude Davout d'Auerstaedt
Coat of arms of the d'Avout family
Louis-Nicolas d'Avout
Ref 199 - ♥♥♥♥♥
The arms on this seal - Azure charged with a lion rampant and two stars - are relatively widespread in Europe. Several families, including the Coucault, de Charbonnières, and des Vergers, bore arms of similar composition, making it difficult to identify the original owner with certainty.
Ref 290 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This is a seal of the de Kergroas, a family from Brittany. Their designation “de Kergroas” follows the typical Breton toponymic form, indicating origin from a place named Kergroas (from ker, “estate” or “village,” and groas, “cross”). They were lords of Kermorvan. While the engraving shows a coronet of a count, they were ecuyers, a lower rank.
Ref 291 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal is engraved with alliance arms. Although the married couple remains unidentified, the arms of the husband correspond to those of the de La Panouse family, an old noble house from Rouergue, known since the Middle Ages and holding the title of Count. To identify the wife's family is much more difficult since many families bore this coat of arms - Azure, a crescent and a star. Among the possibilities is the Bochart de Saron family, which rose within the noblesse de robe through prominent judicial offices. Both families belonged to related elite circles, sharing social and matrimonial networks, but no documented alliance between their principal branches is recorded in genealogies. Other families such as the Arnauld de Chesne, or du Jardin - among several others - could have been allied to the de La Panouse family. Unfortunately, such an alliance is not formally recorded and more research is needed.
Ref 294 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal presents arms that resemble those of Nicolas Pavillon (1597-1677), Bishop of Alet, although with differences in tinctures. The similarities suggest a shared heraldic model, but not a certain familial connection. Other records further associate comparable arms with the names Louis du Temps ("of Time") and Jean de Besgue. So, how to correctly identify the seal's owner? A decisive element is the figure of Chronos, the classical personification of Time, holding a scythe and associated with the passage of life. This imagery aligns closely with the celestial charges of the shield - the sun, stars, and crescent - forming a coherent symbolic program centered on time and cosmic order. The possible connection with the name “du Temps” reinforces this interpretation, suggesting a conceptual rather than strictly genealogical meaning.
Arms attributed to Louis du Temps
Coat of arms of Nicolas Pavillon, Bishop of Alet. Identical elements, but tinctures different from those of the seal.
Ref 295 - ♥♥♥♥♥
The arms engraved on this seal are relatively common, making the identification of its owner uncertain. Similar arms were borne by several families, including Gigault and Petit in Belgium, as well as Le Maire and Gilbert in France. However, the engraving also features a count’s coronet. Among the families mentioned, only the name Gigault can be associated with such a title, and this in France. For example, Charles Gigault (1824–1900) held the title of Comte de Crisenoy de Lyonne.
Ref 296 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal is engraved with a coat of arms of the Hammes family, described as “vair and contre-vair Or and Azure,” and a count’s coronet. The Hammes (or Hames) family is an early noble lineage of the county of Guînes, documented from the late 11th century. Figures such as Guillaume and Alelme de Hammes appear in charters, while Maurice and Robert de Hammes are recorded as benefactors and witnesses, reflecting established feudal status. In the 12th century, Arnoul de Hammes served as bailli to the count of Guînes, confirming the family’s administrative importance. The lineage held a fortified seat at Hames and played an active role in regional conflicts. Later members, including Bauduin and Eustache, continued this tradition, the latter taking part in the Albigensian Crusade. Through marriage, the seigneury passed to the counts of Guînes, and the original Hammes lineage disappears from direct possession. In the 17th century, the territory was reorganized into the comté de Hames, later held by the ducs of Croÿ.
Ref 299 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal belonged to Paul Cognet des Gouttes and Sophie de Brosse. The Cognet (also spelled Coignet) des Gouttes, originating from the Forez region in central France, is a branch of a wider Cognet/Coignet lineage. Its original arms, Gules, a saltire Or, retained by this line, were quartered when, in 1650, Jacques Coignet des Gouttes married Louise Pierrette de Saint-George, combining the arms of both families. Through Sophie de Brosse, the seal is also connected to the de Brosse family, an ancient French feudal house of considerable distinction. Its origins can be traced back to the early Middle Ages, with links to the house of Limoges as early as the 9th century. Taking its name from the seigneury of Brosse (the present-day Indre), the family rose to prominence as viscounts, forming part of the higher feudal nobility. From the 12th and 13th centuries, the de Brosse acquired important territories such as Boussac, Sainte-Sévère, and Huriel. Among its most notable members was Jean de Brosse, who was Marshal of France and companion of Joan of Arc.
Ref 300 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal is engraved with arms that present similarities with the arms of the Bouhelier (or Bouhélier) family, an old French lineage originating in the Franche-Comté, particularly established around Cernay-l’Église in the Haut-Doubs. From the late Middle Ages, members of the family appear in regional history, often linked to military service and feudal obligations. By the 15th century, the Bouhélier were involved in key conflicts, notably supporting Jean sans Peur during the events of 1419 and defending their lands against external threats. Their loyalty and martial role earned them privileges, including rights to bear arms, hunt, and exercise certain local authorities. Under Habsburg rule, the family entered imperial service. Jean-Ferdinand and Alexandre Bouhelier distinguished themselves at the Battle of Pavia (1525), contributing to the capture of François I. In recognition, Emperor Charles V ennobled them in 1526 and confirmed their status in 1533, granting extensive rights and privileges. Their arms are described as gules with three fasces of gold.
Ref 304 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal is engraved with a party per pale coat of arms, indicating the possible union of two families. On one side appear the arms attributed to the Grubb (or Grubbe) family: argent semy of ermine spots, on a chief gules three roses or. These correspond to the arms recorded for the Anglo-Irish Grubb family, well documented in Quaker genealogies and established in Ireland from the 17th century. On the seal, however, the chief appears divided azure and gules, a variation not typically found in standard armorial sources. This may reflect a personal or branch-specific difference, or simply an engraving variation. On the other side are the arms of the Adey (or Ady, Addie) family: gules, a bend argent charged with three leopard’s heads. The Adey name is found in England from the medieval period, generally among minor gentry or established local families. The combination of these arms strongly suggests a matrimonial alliance. However, no clearly documented marriage between the Grubb and Adey families has been identified in standard genealogical records.
Ref 338 - ♥♥♥♥♥
The heraldry on this seal appears to combine the arms of the Italian Naselli Feo and Nuti families, making it likely that it commemorates an alliance through marriage. However, no record can confirm such alliance. The Naselli Feo family was one of the leading noble families of Savona. Descended from the Sicilian Naselli family, they acquired the surname Feo after inheritance and were recognized as Counts, holding important civic, political, and military positions. The Nuti family, by contrast, originated in Tuscany, where several branches became prominent as merchants, magistrates, scholars, and local patricians, particularly in Pisa and Florence. A particularly intriguing feature of the seal is the engraved square and compasses with a blazing star on the top of the ivory handle, unmistakable symbols of Freemasonry. This suggests that the owner belonged to a Masonic lodge. Since the matrix is surmounted by a count's coronet, the seal may have belonged to one of the Counts Naselli Feo of Savona, such as Count Giacomo Naselli Feo, Count Luigi Naselli Feo, or Count Carlo Naselli Feo.
Ref 345 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This nicely carved ivory seal bears the arms of the Enlart de Grandval family, an old French lineage whose roots can be traced to the region of Montreuil-sur-Mer. During the eighteenth century, the family settled in Arras, where several generations rose to prominence as royal magistrates, lawyers, and administrators in the service of the Crown. Among its distinguished members were Grégoire Enlart, royal prosecutor and commissioner for the reform of the University of Douai, Pierre-Grégoire-Marie Enlart de Grandval, counsellor of the Conseil d'Artois, and Grégoire-Joseph-Marie Enlart de Grandval, Procureur Général of Artois and builder of the elegant Hôtel Enlart de Grandval, which still stands today. The family later also produced the celebrated composer Clémence de Grandval and the renowned medieval art historian Camille Enlart. The arms displayed on this beautiful and elaborately carved ivory and vermeil seal correspond closely to those recorded in nineteenth-century armorials: a chevron between three crescents with a cross in base, accompanied by two leopard supporters.
Pierre-Grégoire-Marie Enlart de Grandval
Coat of arms of Enlart de Grandval
Nicolas-François-Marie Enlart
Ref 347 - ♥♥♥♥♥
This seal belonged to Jacques-Louis-Étienne de Reiset and Colette-Désirée-Thérèse Godefroy. The Reiset family was an established Alsatian family associated with royal administration and finance. Jacques-Louis-Étienne de Reiset, born in Colmar in 1771, followed the family’s administrative tradition. He served as councilor-general of the Haut-Rhin, receiver-general in the department of Mont-Tonnerre, tax receiver in Spain, and receiver-general of Seine-Inférieure. From 1826 until his death in 1835, he was a regent of the Banque de France. He was appointed an Officer of the Legion of Honour and a Knight of Saint-Louis, corresponding to the two decorations suspended beneath the shields. Colette-Désirée-Thérèse Godefroy, born in 1782, married Jacques-Louis-Étienne in 1804. She became a recognized figure in artistic and musical society. Her mother belonged to the Laumond family, and Colette was the niece of Jean-Charles-Joseph Laumond, one of the leading administrators of the Consulate and Empire: prefect, director-general of mines, councilor of state, commander of the Legion of Honour, and, from 1809, Count of the Empire.
The arms of Jean-Charles-Joseph Laumond are the ones that we can see on the seal, besides the Reiset arms: Tierced in fess: Azure with two palm branches Or; Gules with the badge of a Knight of the Empire; and Or with a greyhound passant Sable; over all, the quarter assigned to counts who were councilors of state.
Why are Laumond’s arms used on the seal instead of Godefroy?
The most plausible explanation is that Colette was presenting her maternal Laumond descent and inheritance, rather than her paternal Godefroy identity.
Jacques-Louis-Étienne de Reiset
Arms of the de Reiset family
The Laumond arms engraved on the seal
Colette-Désirée Godefroy
Jean-Charles-Joseph Laumond
Jean-Charles-Joseph Laumond appears not to have left a continuing direct dynastic line. Colette and her mother were evidently close to him, and the family’s later burial arrangements demonstrate the importance of this connection. In such circumstances, a nephew or niece could become the principal representative, beneficiary, or guardian of an extinct maternal line. Nevertheless, an important distinction must be made: inheritance of property did not automatically confer the uncle’s comital title or a legal right to his arms.
Under French and Napoleonic heraldic practice, a title of Count of the Empire normally descended according to the provisions of its patent and associated majorat. A niece could not simply become Countess Laumond merely because her uncle died without children. Therefore, we should assume that the couple used the arms privately and commemoratively, without claiming legal succession to the title, but commemorating Colette’s Laumond ancestry. The feathered bonnet above the shields is an imperial-style toque or bonnet with feathers. Its presence could also refer to the rank of Jean-Charles-Joseph Laumond as Count of the Empire, reinforcing the prominence given to his arms. In that interpretation, the entire achievement was deliberately composed around the prestigious Laumond inheritance.
In conclusion, the seal can be interpreted as a highly personal family monument. It combines the ancestral arms of Reiset, representing Jacques-Louis-Étienne; the Imperial arms of Count Laumond, representing Colette’s maternal family and probable inheritance; Jacques-Louis-Étienne’s decorations of the Legion of Honour and Order of Saint-Louis; and an imperial noble bonnet reflecting the titled status attached to the family circle. The evidence strongly suggests that Colette and her husband considered themselves custodians of the Laumond legacy. What remains unproven is whether this use resulted from a formal heraldic transmission or from a private decision to preserve the memory, fortune, and social standing of her childless maternal uncle.
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Gerry's Collection of Antique Seal Stamps.