Sealing wax

Seal of the city of Nicosia in Cyprus , 13th century

Sealing wax was in the Middle Ages in addition to metals such as lead and Oblatenteig the seal of documents used. The wax often remained naturally yellow, and sometimes dyes such as orpiment and other materials such as spruce resin or pine oil were added. Sealing wax - also known as Spanish wax - has been used since the 16th century, and plastic polymers have recently been used . Sealing wax is still used today. It is more elastic than sealing wax and therefore better suited for mailing, for example, where sealing wax can break during transport. The terms sealing wax and sealing wax are sometimes used synonymously in trade.

The corks of wine bottles were also sealed with wax to seal them for long storage times.

literature

• Jens Dannehl: Damaged seals and their conservation and restoration. Using the example of the documents of a spiritual Westphalian chapter from the North Rhine-Westphalian State Archives in Münster . Cologne 1993.

Web links

Commons : Sealing Wax and Varnish  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Sealing wax ( memento from February 15, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) from the Museumsdorf Düppel
• LetterSeals.com (English: sealing wax refers to both sealing wax and sealing wax.)