A labradorite desk seal 19th century

A labradorite desk seal 19th century, with a gold seal set with a carnelian engraved with an elaborate coat of arms, above the motto 'FIDE ET AMORE', height 9cm

The elaborate coat of arms engraved on this seal are those of Seymour quartering Conway, which appear beneath the coronet of a Marquess. The Seymour-Conway family have held the title of Marquess of Hertford since 1793, as well as Viscount Beauchamp and Earl of Yarmouth. While their family seat is Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, the family's London home, Hertford House, is now better known as the Wallace Collection, housing the family's collection of predominantly French art of the ancien régime, which was gifted to the nation in 1900.