Georgian Moth & Sun Intaglio Seal Fob
A Georgian intaglio seal fob dating from the 1820s, perhaps a little earlier. The red carnelian panel has been carved with a simple scene: a butterfly in flight, heading towards the sun in the top left (right if you stamp it in wax). The fob itself is made of gilt metal, with much of the gilding worn away. It's highly ornate with a loop at the top to attach to your watch chain (or just regular chain if it's worn as a pendant).
The symbolism? Open to interpretation... A moth to the flame springs to mind but isn't wholly accurate (unless you read the insect as a moth, but the clubbed antennae suggest butterfly). There is, however, a comparative reference in Petrarch's sonnet 141 in which an innocent butterfly flies into someone’s face and dies. The poet says he too keeps running towards the sunlight of his beloved’s eyes, even though it will kill him. A more scientific angle relates to the fact that butterflies bask in the sun to warm their flight muscles; a monarch butterfly can’t fly until those muscles reach about 13°C (55°F). The carving shows that exact moment, the butterfly lifting off the grass into the light. The message becomes “you are what lets me fly”. Then a more abstract reading might include the butterfly as a representation of the soul... appearing on 19th century mourning pieces, this imagery could related to the soul's destination under eternal sunshine of heaven. Too much?
Era: Georgian, circa 1820
Stone: Carnelian Agate
Base: 1.7cm by 1.5cm
Height: 2.3cm
Marks: None, tested as gilt metal
Condition: Good antique condition; much of the gilding has worn away - see images.
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[Last updated: September 2026]
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Condition
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