Lot 187

Austrian, 93 mm, 466 g, circa 1750
Large ornamental seal of Emperor Francis I, Francis Stephen of Lorraine, in a firegilt container
Case: silver, firegilt, wax, silver punch marks.
The holder of this magnificent seal in excellent condition was Francis I (1708-1765), husband of Maria Theresa of Austria; Francis and his wife were the founders of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty. In 1745 he became Holy Roman Emperor. The seal shows a crowned double-headed eagle holding the regalia: the imperial sceptre and the sword in his right claw and the globus cruciger in the left claw.
The inscription on the seal says:
Franciscus I. Austr. Imp. Hung. Boh. Lomb. et Venet. Gal. et Lod. Rex. A. Austr. D. Loth. Sal. Styr. Car. Carn. ... I.M.P. Trans. M. Mor. Com Habs. Et. Tyr
Which stands for
Franciscus I., Austriae Imperator Hungariae Bohemiae, Lombardiae et Venetiae, Galiciae et. Lodomeriae, Rex Archidux Austriae Dux Lothringae Salisburgum Styriae Carinthiae Carniolae ... Imperator Transilvaniae marchionem Moravie Com Habs
Translation
Francis I, Emperor of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, Lombardy and Veneto, Galicia-Volhynia, King and Archduke of Austria, Duke of Lorraine, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola… Emperor of Transylvania, Moravia, the Hungarian Counties and Tyrol