Sphragistics studies the history of the emergence and development of seals, or rather, their matrices and prints. This is an auxiliary historical science, which often opens the veil of secrets of many events of ancient Russia. For example, the appearance of an unusual seal of Ivan the Great on letters granted to nephews.
The tradition of signing documents by autograph appeared in Russia only in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It was borrowed by merchants from merchants of the East, who, in order to accelerate the process of exchanging letters, did not use inscribed wax prints, but murals. Until that moment, all wealthy city dwellers used family official stamps, and the royal court used tsarist, and later imperial imprints on wax, which used to seal the edge of the letter so that it was impossible to read the contents without breaking the seal.
Print history
The letter, which was granted by Ivan the Third to his nephews, to the princes Fedor Borisovich and Ivan Borisovich, was no different from such letters, which were issued for the decision of inheritance rights, granted, exchange and withdrawal letters. But this very letter was first sealed with the personal seal of Ivan the Third, which attracted attention.
On the front side was a horseman striking a spear of a winged snake. On the front side was a circular inscription "Seal of Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich." The reverse image was not, only the continuation of the inscription of the front side of "All Russia" was going on. Historians rightly believe that the rider on the first seal is George the Victorious, but his image was uncanonical, free, and therefore very different from those prints that were later left on credentials.
