Beschreibung:

King James VI and I—Privy Council.
Document signed by 15 Privy Councillors, on the creation of a new Great Seal
instructions issued to Lord Buckhurst, Lord Treasurer, informing him that the King “hath given order and direction for the engraving & renuing of the great Seale of England”, and ordering him to deliver to “Charles Anthony his Ma[jesty]s Graver, so much money or silver for his purpose as yo[u]r L[ordshi]p shall fynd needful”, including the signatures of Thomas Egerton, the Earls of Nottingham, Northumberland, Shrewsbury, Worcester, and Cumberland, Robert Cecil, and others, 1 page, folio, Whitehall, 29 April 1603, with an autograph instruction initialled by Buckhurst at the foot of the page (“Mr skinner make an order for payment of lli to the said graver T.B.”), integral address leaf, docketed, seal tear, tender at folds
THE NEW KING SETS ABOUT REMAKING THE SYMBOLS OF STATE IN HIS IMAGE.
The Great Seal of the Realm was integral to the mechanics of government: it was affixed to official documents of state as a sign of royal approval. It had a function similar to, but more formal than, the royal signature (or sign manual). Until a new matrix was designed, documents issued by the new king continued to bear the Great Seal of Elizabeth I that had been designed for her by Nicholas Hilliard The design of a new seal was therefore a vital way for the new monarch to put his stamp on the symbols of power. It was such a priority for King James that he ordered its creation whilst he was still on his progress from Edinburgh to London. The engraver ordered to create matrices for the new seal was Charles Anthony (d.1615), Chief Engraver to the Royal Mint. Anthony was also responsible for designing the dies for the coinage for the new reign. The new seal was delivered on 19 July 1603.
Provenance: The Pencarrow Collection of Autographs; Sotheby’s, London, 8 December 1999, lot 68