Stamps and trademarks in the Simón Ruiz Archive

Discover how 16th century merchants stamped their letters and marked their goods.

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

Seal of Cosme Ruiz Envito (1568) by Cosme Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

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.

Wax seal on a letter, Rodrigo de Andrade, 1578-12-20, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Wax seal on a letter, Diogo Henriques do Porto, 1588-12-01, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Seal of Cosme Ruiz Envito (1568) by Cosme Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

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.

Wax seal on a letter, Vasco Martins da Veiga, 1593-03-07, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Wax seal on a letter, Luis Alvares Caldera, 1577-05-20, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Seal of Cosme Ruiz Envito (1568) by Cosme Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

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.


PLate stamp on a letter, Benedetto and Bernardino Bonvisi, 1573-03-11, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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PLate stamp on a letter, João Enriques, 1587-03-25, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Seal of Cosme Ruiz Envito (1568) by Cosme Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

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.


Seal of Cosme Ruiz Envito (1568) by Cosme Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

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.


Wax seal on a letter, Francisco de la Presa, 1571-05-03, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Wax seal on a letter, Gianfrancesco, Bartolomeo and Hieronimo Balbi, 1589-11-02, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Seal of Cosme Ruiz Envito (1568) by Cosme Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

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.


Plate stamp on a letter, Bernardo Drago, 1581-06-03, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Wax seal on a letter, Fernando de Morales, 1587-01-17, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Seal of Cosme Ruiz Envito (1568) by Cosme Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

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.


Seal of Cosme Ruiz Envito (1568) by Cosme Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

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.


Wax seal on a letter, Rodrigo Soares, 1582-08-06, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Wax seal on a letter, Felipe Jorge, 1591-06-11, From the collection of: Museum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive
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Seal of Cosme Ruiz Envito (1568) by Cosme Ruiz EnvitoMuseum of the Fairs Foundation - Simón Ruiz Archive

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

Credits: Story

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.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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