Bale Seal
Physical Object
2001.013.0001
Santa Margarita (1622)
circa 1620 – 1622
A lead seal from the galleon Santa Margarita was once affixed to a bolt of cloth. One side of the seal bears a sword over a cross and surrounded by four stars: The seal of the city of Haarlem in The Netherlands. Haarlem was best known at the time for its production of linen cloth. The number “20” is located on the reverse side, and this figure refers to the length of the cloth measured in Dutch ells (1 ell = 69cm/27in). The lead seal is likely representative of the European goods carried across the Atlantic by Margarita to the Spanish colonies in the first leg of the Transatlantic crossing, where there was a demand by the colonists for products from the “Old World.” 3.3 x 2.0 cm.