Elizabeth I of England, Second Great Seal – 1586 – Historical Wax Seal Stamp

Elizabeth I of England, Second Great Seal - 1586 - Historical Wax Seal Stamp

Wax seal stamp based on the Second Great Seal of Queen Elizabeth I, created during the later years of her reign and one of the most elaborate royal seals of Tudor England.

Elizabeth ordered a replacement for her original Great Seal after years of use had left the earlier matrix worn and increasingly unsuitable. Work on the new design began in 1584, with the completed matrix produced by Nicholas Hilliard, the celebrated Tudor miniaturist and court artist, in 1586.

On the obverse, Elizabeth is shown enthroned in elaborate court dress, holding the orb and sceptre traditionally associated with royal authority. She is surrounded by rich decorative detail, including the Royal Arms, Tudor roses, foliage and symbolic hands emerging from clouds to support her robes.

The reverse presents Elizabeth on horseback, continuing the long medieval tradition of depicting the monarch as mounted ruler and protector of the realm. The composition includes a horse with a carefully plaited mane alongside heraldic symbols including the Tudor rose, fleur-de-lis and Irish harp.

Around the seal runs Elizabeth’s Latin royal inscription, identifying her as Queen of England, France and Ireland. The combination of royal portraiture, heraldic imagery and elaborate symbolism made the Great Seal an important expression of Elizabeth’s public image.

Hilliard’s representation proved particularly influential. The image established on the Second Great Seal became an unofficial standard for later portraits and illuminations of Elizabeth, helping shape the familiar visual identity of the queen during the final decades of the Tudor period.

The Great Seal was used by the Chancery to authenticate important documents issued in the monarch’s name, making impressions of this design closely connected with the administration and ceremonial authority of Elizabethan England.

Design: Second Great Seal of Elizabeth I
Monarch: Elizabeth I
Dynasty: Tudor
Date: 1586
Period: Elizabethan England
Engraver: Nicholas Hilliard
Stamp Size: 50 mm
Material: Solid brass
Type: Wax seal stamp / sealing stamp

Each stamp is made of solid brass, supplied with a wooden handle and presented in a velvet pouch.

Suitable for letters, envelopes, historical collections, Tudor displays, genealogy projects, traditional stationery and decorative sealing.

“I have the heart and stomach of a king.” — Elizabeth I