A rare Charles Gouyn Seal Fob, circa 1750-59
This Charles Gouyn (St James’s, Girl-in-a-Swing) seal fob is modelled as an African man in Turkish dress. He wears a gold and purple striped jacket and trousers, a green sash, an ermine-trimmed red cloak, gold earrings, and a sword. A feather and gold crescent adorn his turban. The motto in red reads VAINCRE OU MOURIR (Win or die). Gold-mounted and set with a carnelian seal matrix engraved with a classical head.
Tiny seal fobs such as this, often richly decorated and mounted in gold, were made for wealthy aristocrats to give as gifts and love tokens.
The British Museum has an example of this seal fob (1887,0307,II.198).
A Caucasian man in Turkish dress is illustrated in Bryant, Plate 42, Fig.24.
Condition: Excellent – no damage or restoration.
Dimensions: Height (to top of ring attachment) 3.4 cm
The Chelsea Porcelain Toys: Scent-bottles, Bonbonnieres, Etuis, Seals and Statuettes, made at the Chelsea Factory, 1745-1769 & Derby Chelsea, 1770-1784, G.E. Bryant (The Medici Society, 1925).
Chelsea Porcelain, Elizabeth Adams (The British Museum Press, 2001).