Stamp piston

The development of medieval cities resulted in the need to incorporate the craftsmen into various organisations – guilds that brought together craftsmen of the same or similar professions, who had, among others, the right to authenticate issued documents with the imprint of their own seal with the image of the guild emblem. This seal was a sign of the guild, informed about the profile of its activity by means of characteristic symbols – identifiers of sorts, which were put in a specific order. An excellent example of such a traditional composition is the seal of the bricklayers of Gryfice from 1769. The design of the emblem is based on a measure with a square ruler, with the arms of the compasses resting on it. A triangular trowel and a moulding hammer were also seen as attributes of masons, which were usually placed in the central zone of the emblem. Years were often placed on the seals – they probably denoted the date the seal was made. In this case, the arched year is divided by the top part of the compasses. The inscription in the rim informs that the seal belongs to the bricklayers guild of Gryfice. The working part of the seal was attached to a richly fluted wooden handle.

Mieszko Pawłowski