Portrait of Simon Ruiz (Circa1595) by Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, workshopMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
The Simón Ruiz Archive, a merchant and businessman from Medina del Campo in Spain, is exceptional. It contains 184 account books, nearly 58,000 letters and more than 23,000 bills of exchange from the 16th and 17th centuries, which is unusual.
Funerary sculpture of Simón Ruiz (1600) by Pedro de la CuadraMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
What are trademarks?
From the Middle Ages onwards, merchants stamped a sign on their goods in order to identify them more easily. The letters were sealed with a seal of sealing wax or the merchant's plate. The Simón Ruiz Archive holds about a thousand trade marks.
Letters and wax seals (1578)Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
What types of seals and marks did merchants use?
- With letters
- With monograms
- With crosses
- With "4 de cifra"
- With heraldry
- With talking motifs
- With Christian iconography
- With mythological motifs
Marks with letters
An example of the link between the seal and the person is the use of an alphabetical sign (more rarely two or three) derived from the merchant's own name. For example, as we can see in the following images: "A" for Andrade or "DH" for Diogo Henriques.
Marks with monograms
Marks with monograms that combine several letters with greater graphic elaboration also often refer to the merchant's own name by taking the initials of his first and last name. For example: 'V-M' for Vasco Martins da Veiga or 'A-L' for Luis Alvares.
Marks with crosses
It is also common for many markings to be topped with a one- or two-armed cross as a pious and protective invocation.
Marks with "4 de cifra"
These marks were very common: at the top of the mark a figure 4 to which additional lines are added, and at the bottom a combination of various symbols: letters, monograms, hearts, balloons, stars, utensils, etc.
Wax seal on a letter (1581-02-23) by Manoel RodriguesMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
Several possible meanings have been proposed for the enigmatic symbol of the "4 de cifra": cabalistic and masonic sign, imitation of the signature of the notaries (the signum tabellionatus) or influence of the Hanseatic marks.
Wax seal on a letter (1578-09-20) by Nicolão and Simão Rodrigues de ÉvoraMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
It is most often explained as a sign derived from the signum crucis made when making the sign of the cross and is interpreted as a request for divine action to protect their goods as they embark on their journey.
Marks with heraldic motifs
They are reminiscent of the coats of arms that are emblazoned on façades and architecture to emphasise the nobility of the personage.
Marks with talking motifs
Sometimes the name of the motif depicted recalls the name or surname of the merchant. For example: the figure of a dragon for Bernardo Drago or a tree, the moral, for Fernando de Morales.
Marks with Christian iconography
Sometimes the authors of the letters are religious and use Christian motifs in their emblems. Sometimes the authors of the letters are religious and use Christian motifs in their emblems.
Wax seal on a letter (1575-12-31) by fray Hernando de AguileraMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
For example, Fray Hernando de Aguilera uses an Agnus Dei or lamb of God...
PLate stamp on a letter (1578-02-05) by Fray Diego de ObregónMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
...while Fray Diego de Obregón uses a pelican pecking itself on the chest to feed its young with the blood that flows from it, a symbol of the Eucharist.
Marks with mythological motifs
References to Greco-Roman mythology will be constant in the Renaissance and therefore common in the seals of different characters. For example: Neptune as the seal of Rodrigo Soares or Daphne metamorphosing into a laurel as the seal of Philip George.
Marks used by Simón Ruiz between 1562 and 1597
Among the thousands of documents in the Simón Ruiz Archive, several very diverse marks used by Simón Ruiz have been identified. Their typology is very diverse (crosses, 4 de cifra) but the S and R of his name and surname almost always appear.
Stamps and marks used by Simón Ruiz (1562-1597)Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
This digital exhibition has been created from the exhibition: "Signado de mi marca. Sellos y marcas comerciales, siglos XVI y XVII" which took place from 5 November 2020 to 4 April 2021 at the Museum of the Fairs.
For more information on the exhibition, please visit the museum's website.