Featured Signed Red Wax Seal Henri V of France

I bought this the other day amongst a few other things very cheaply. I don't see too many wax seals too often. Wondering if it's worth anything?

I'm fairly certain the signature is a genuine one from the look and feel of the thing. The original envelope it was in at one point is attached to the back. The writing is obviously old and looks to be contemporary to the date Henri V was the "monarch" in France. A French reader would be ideal here hopefully.

Thanks for any help

 

Hard to say ... the seal looks too simplified for a monarch.And almost anything can be reproduced/faked, would need an expert to examine it.

 

À M. le Cte de Ma___ To Monsieur the Count of Ma_____ Not sure if that next letter is an f or an s. This may be the Frohsdorf in question:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Frohsdorf

 

The M inside the garter must belong to the Count.

 

"Monarch" [edit: I see the word 'Pretender' in the pencil note.]:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri,_Count_of_Chambord

'Spes' means Hope. Can't make out the word above the cross.

 

Since M. le Cte appears to be English, we're looking for an earl.

 

As ever, INH is on top of it.

"Fides Spes" I don't know if this is just Faith & Hope or something more like My faith is in hope, or vice versa.

@Bakersgma

 

Signature en'd at Frohsdorf. Enscribed? Enclosed? Entered?

 

You rang, but I don't know why.

 

And btw, I did not get a tag alert, just happened to be reading this thread and saw the tag.

I can't really see that the top word is Fides and I could not find a "phrase meaning" for the combination of fides and spes beyond the meanings of the 2 individual words, which you already know. Too bad that the listing INH found did not elaborate.

 

Because elsewhere you have mentioned your 5 years of the dead language, which puts you way ahead of me. I thought 'spes' was appropriate for someone hoping to be recognized as the legitimate king. I remember in the BBC's Victoria she goes off to see him, hoping to change his mind about where to marry off his son & imagining he'll be thrilled to meet an anointed queen.

I see if I have been tagged in my alerts, but do not get e-mail notifications. Of course, have no way to know whether I always get an alert. Anyone out there feel I've been ignoring them?

 

Ah, those 5 years of dead language do come in handy on occasion. But not this time.

I have seen others mention that they had not gotten any form of alert when tagged. I don't get emails for alerts anyway, but have always gotten the little red number alert until now (that I know of.)

 

Strange that seal is not sealing anything. The envelope would be last half of the 19th century or later.

 

Last half of the 19th century would not be anachronistic. Henry died at Frohsdorf in 1883 & the envelope looks like part of M. le Cte.'s stationery, so could be from even later. Seals could also be affixed to documents as a guarantee of the authenticity of the signature. They did not have to be used to keep something closed. Notaries, corporations, still use seals this way.

 

If you could take a good picture of those pencil writings... Or maybe write them for us...

 

It says " Henrvy V of France Legitimist pretender"

 

Here's a coin (non-governmental) struck for Henry V in 1831.


A 1f and a 5f were made and the design on the reverse is the same for each. It can also be found in other associations with the Comte de Chambord.

 

Uh.. I just found the post, Bronwen and you were great solvers.
I can’t find the name of Mr le Comte de Mafsiac other than some Google entries in 1700’s.
Perhaps related to the village of Massiac, described as legitimist, royalist:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massiac