Folia archeologica 14.

F. Vattai Erzsébet: Középkori titkos pecsétgyűrű

132 E. F. Vattai A SECRET MEDIEVAL SIGNET RING The Department of Medieval Antiquities of the Hungarian National Museum purchased a small gold intaglio ring (Fig. 52. i) which came to light from the soil a few years ago. The circlet itself is broken in half. We do not know its exact site but it was certainly Hungary. There is a reddish chalcedony intaglio with the engraved figure of a lion set in it and the inscription is SLLS E С R E T I (Sigillum secreti). Before classifying the ring the author describes the intaglio rings from Hungary published previously (Figs. 52. 2—54) which date before the Renaissance. Then she deals with the medieval secret seals and signet rings. After the 13th century those small-sized private stamps, which were singularly used with increasing popularity in less important matters and for correspondance, were considered secret, but they were frequently stamped on the reverse sides of larger seals, too, as a control. Besides the secret stamps, secret signet rings, smaller than the previous ones, were also used. In Hungary the expression „secretum" occurred on the reverse side of the double wax seals of Gyula, the palatine, which is from 1224 and of the double typarium of the Latins in Esztergom (Fig. 55). This latter is preserved in the National Museum. We know of Hungarian royal secret stamps and signet rings only from the 14th century. Their use and significance on Hungarian documents is summed up in the papers of B. L. Kumorovitz. The recently acquired ring of the Museum was probably made in the 13th century. The intaglio set in the ring has no special artistic value and is very likely an antique gem. The naturalistic depiction of the lion is not analogous with the stylized animal figures of the metal signet rings of the Middle Ages.