OldCooksBooks.com


Showing page 7 of 43 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

Royal Menu. - Visiting the Scottish Highlands.
Luncheon for Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
THE ROYAL BURGH OF INVERNESS (the coat of arms of Inverness). Visit of Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. Luncheon In STATION HOTEL., INVERNESS On FRIDAY, 26th JUNE, 1964. Provost W. J. MACKAY Presiding.
177 x 113 mm. One sheet of cream-coloured cardboard folded in half, thereby creating 4 pages. Outside page - see above. Verso with 2 wines. 3rd page with menu. Back outside cover blank. Very slightly stained on first 3 pages. Housed and inserted in a marbled sleeve.
- This was the last leg of a three day visit by the Queen and Prince Phillip to the Scottish Highlands on 24th to 26th June, 1964. It included Caithness, Sutherland, Easter Ross and Inverness. I was a very young commis chef starting in the Pastry Department of the Station Hotel, Inverness. The Chef Patissier was a Spaniard called Jose who was a very good and patient teacher. There was another young commis pattisier like me, so a team of three. The sweet course on the menu was a very traditional Strawberries and Cream. I remember helping with small intricate Petit Fours; my first time seeing and making those exquisite mouthfuls. Another thing I remember hearing, that the Chef de Cuisine, an Italian called Mr Lyola, had been given a list of items to chose from that the Queen liked, to make a menu. (I should imagine that the menu had to be sent back to the Queen's tour organisers for approval). Part of the brief was to keep the menu simple. Chef Lyola, who was near to retirement age, had been the Chef de Cuisine at the Central Hotel in Glasgow and had been sent to Inverness to raise the standards. He was a very exacting boss, with a big reputation. We commis chefs were in awe of him and not a little afraid to become the focus of his ire for the slightest mistake. For the first course of 'Foie Gras a la Gelee de Porto', a French chef from the Central Hotel came for three days to prepare it. I remember also the excitement I felt in the kitchen at that time. None of the commis took time or days off. We just wanted to see and learn the new dishes, even though now, when I read the menu I'm surprised by its relative simplicity. I had the privilege many years later to be the Chef Poissonnier at Claridges Hotel in London. There was during the height of every season, eight high level diplomatic banquets, coordinated with the relative Embassy, and held for up to two hundred guests with the Queen attending each one. (most times with Heads of State as the Queen's main Guest). Those were much more sophisticated affairs, but the excitement of those did not compare to the awe and wonder of that first one in Inverness when I was just starting out.

click on image to enlarge

Modern category

ref number: 11278

NEWHAM-DAVIS. LIEUT.-COL. - A gastronomic tour of London 1914.
THE GOURMET'S GUIDE.
TO LONDON. BY LIEUT.-COL. NEWHAM-DAVIS. Author of 'The Gourmet's Guide to Europe" (small printer's device). LONDON GRANT RICHARDS LTD. PUBLISHERS
FIRST EDITION: 1914. 165 X 110 mm. 1fep. Half-title. Verso has frontis. Tissue guard then Title page. [1] 1p. Aphorism of Brillat Savarin. [1] 1p TO ALL GOOD GOURMETS. [1] ix - x Preface. xi - xiv Contents. xv List of four illustrations. [1] 1 - 386. 2feps. The text block very clean. Bound in a maroon cloth with gilt text on spine and front cover with bright gilt cartoon figure of a Maitre de Hotel. The whole book in excellent condition.
- Newham-Davis was an avid gastronome who checked out and dined at a huge number of London's eateries, hotels and restaurants. This was the time when Escoffier was ensconced at the Carlton Hotel on the corner of Haymarket and Pall Mall. One of the four illustrations in the book is a famous photograph of Escoffier, (see image #3 below) with a signed dedication to Newham-Davis [N-D]. One of the questions N-D was frequently asked is where is the best place in London to dine. He further states that he always replies with another question; "whom are you going to take out to dinner, because there are so many 'best places', If a man answers that he wishes to entertain some bachelors of his own ripe age and taste, where the food is excellent, the rooms comfortable and no band to interfere with conversation, then the diagnosis is a Cafe Royal one. Very astute. For a City Banquet he recommends on page 308 the Mercers Hall as most of his forbears had been of that guild. He explains in the beginning that he drank 1884 Pommery at one banquet and that his great-great-uncle who was Lord Mayor and Grandfather who was a very peppery and litigious old gentleman. His great uncle was in turn once the Master of the Company. On page 313 N-D goes to introduce himself the famous Mrs Rosa Lewis. She was known as the 'Queen of Cooks and the proprietress of the Cavendish Hotel that occupied three houses, 81 to 83 Jermyn St. He is given a shock on meeting Mrs Lewis. Due to his assumption that his family cook, whom he describes as a portly lady given to wearing church-going attire, he gets a huge shock on meeting Rosa Lewis. His vague ideas are shattered and sent spinning when a slim, graceful lady with a pretty oval face and charming eyes with hair just touched with grey. (see image #5 below). Her culinary skills were highly prized by Edward V11 with whom she was also rumoured to have had an affair. She tells N-D that her whole kitchen brigade consists of girls, believing that having accomplished woman cooks in the kitchen was far more preferable than having male chefs. She also tells of a dish of Quail pudding that is a big favourite of the KIng. N-D finally explains to Mrs Lewis that he considers she holds an equal and parallel position in the kitchen to that of the great French Maitre-Chef, Escoffier. Rosa replied that she admired him not only as a great cook but also as a great gentleman. This is an absorbing book of abundant factual detail, written very well by Lieut- Col Newham-Davis. He appears too be very well connected and a fascinating diligent net-worker. There is a slight gossipy edge to his observations that hold the attention admirably.

click on image to enlarge

Modern category

ref number: 11288

COOKE. Mordecai Cubitt
A PLAIN AND EASY ACCOUNT OF BRITISH FUNGI.
by M.C. COOKE. (a single small line). A coloured illustration of a bright orange 'Pexina Ourantia' mushroom). (a single small line). LONDON. ROBERT HRARDWICKE, 192, PICADILLY.
Second Edition. 12mo. 158 x 114 mm. Inside cover and 1fep in dark brown paper. Frontis of coloured illustration of two mushrooms on verso of fep. Ornate Title Page. [1] Second Title page dated 1871. [1] (1)iv Preface. 1p Contents. 1 p Adverts. 2p List of Coloured plates. (1)2-124. (1)126-162 The Tubular Arrangement of British fungi. (1)164-166 Index. Inside cover and fep in dark brown paper. Fully bound in pebble-grain green cloth. With an attractive blind-tooled cover and gilt illustration and gilt titles to the spine. All 24 hand-coloured lithographic plates present. Ver clean inside. Overall a very well-preserved copy.
- The author, (image # 1. below) Mordecai Cubitt Cooke; 1825 - 1914, was an English botanist and mycologist. Cooke came from a mercantile family and was born in Horning, Norfolk, and worked as an apprentice to a fabric merchant before becoming a clerk in a law firm, but his chief interest was in botany. He founded the Society of Amateur Botanists in 1862. He taught natural history at Holy Trinity National School, Lambeth, London and worked as a curator at the India Museum at India Office from 1860 to 1879. In 1879 when the botanical collections from the India Museum were transferred to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Cooke went with them. He received the Victoria Medal of Honour from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1902 and the Linnean Medal from the Linnean Society of London in 1903. He was awarded several honorary diplomas for his work, primarily with fungi, also a Master of Arts from St. Lawrence University in 1870, a Master of Arts from Yale University in 1873 and a doctorate from the New York University. His books are very well researched and presented and a pleasure to read.

click on image to enlarge

Antiquarian category

ref number: 11298

WALKER. M.A. THOMAS Little known Victorian periodicals compiled.
THE ORIGINAL.
by THOMAS WALKER, M.A. TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE; BARRISTER AT LAW, AND ONE OF THE POLICE MAGISTRATES OF THE METROPOLIS. SECOND EDITION. LONDON. HENRY RENSHAW, 356, STRAND. 1836
220 x 120mm. 2feps. Title page. On verso; LONDON: IBOTSON AND PALMER, SAVOY STREET, STRAND. (i) - iv Contents. (1)2-444. Including all 29 periodicals. 2feps. The pages very clean. Both inside covers and facing pages marbled. 1/4 bottle green calf with same colour cloth boards. Tips bottle green calf. Spine with raised bands and gilt tooling with dark maroon label. All edges of the text block marbled. A very attractive copy.
- This is a full compilation of an irregular series of individual Victorian periodicals written entirely by Thomas Walker, the son of a Manchester manufacturer and Whig reformer. Walker was born in 1784, gained his B.A. and M.A. from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1808 and 1811 respectively, and was called to the bar in 1812. In 1829, he became a police magistrate in Lambeth court. Six years later, he began 'The Original' for, he claimed, it would provide “a constant and interesting stimulus to my faculties of observation and reflection” – in other words, it would act as a kind of public diary. A lively, un-illustrated 3d weekly 16-page miscellany (though its first issue comprised 12 pages and its last just 4), it ran from May 20th 1835 to the 2nd December 1835 for 29 numbers, coming out every Wednesday for 3d and also monthly in a wrapper (its last number, the 4-page issue, costing only a penny). It was published by Henry Renshaw, 356 Strand, London and printed by Ibotson & Palmer, Savoy Street. The most famous and influential section of the miscellany in the nineteenth century and beyond was 'Aristology; or, The Art of Dining'. Beginning in number 13 and continuing until number 22, it received particular favour in the 'Quarterly Review'. It was eventually published separately in 1883 with the rather unlikely suggestion it become a school textbook, edited by no less than Sir Henry Cole, founder of the Albert Hall, the Royal College of Music – and the National School of Cookery. It is possible to see the influence of Brillat-Savarin’s famous 'Physiologie du Goût' - 1825, in Walker’s mixture of charming anecdote and pseudo-science. However, recipes are conspicuously lacking: unlike Brillat-Savarin, Walker concentrated on refining the delights of consumption rather than production. His work relates to the gastronomic literature associated with gentlemen’s clubs such as George Vasey’s 'Illustrations of Eating' - 1847. and J. Timb’s 'Hints for the Table' - 1859. rather than to the practical and popular cookbooks of that time.

click on image to enlarge

Antiquarian category

ref number: 11305

CAREME. MARIE ANTONIN
L'ART DE LA CUISINE FRANCAISE AU DIX-NEUVIEME SIECLE.
TRAITE ELEMENTAIRE ET PRATIQUE Des Bouillons en gras et en maigre, des Essences, Fumets, des Potages francaise et etrangers; des grosses pieces de Poisson; des grandes et petites Sauces; des Ragouts et des Garnatures; des grosses pieces de Boucheriee, de Jambon, de Volaille, et de Gibier, etc. PAR Antonin CAREME, de Paris. (one single line) TOME 1st A PARIS, (one single line) AU COMTOIR DES IMPRIMEURS-UNIS, Qui Malaquais, 15, CHEZ JULES RENOUARD ET C, LIBRAIRES, 6, RUE DE TOURNON, Meme maison a Leipzig; CHEZ DENTU, LIBRAIRE, GALERIE D' ORLEANS, AU PALAIS-ROYAL., Et au Depot principal, rue Sainte-Anne,55. (one very small single line) 1847
3 VOLUMES -- TOME 1: 218 x 140mm. 1fep. Half-title. [2] Portrait frontis of Careme. Elaborate title page (designed by Careme) [1] Title page. [1] v-vj Dedication to Madame Rothschild. vij-xix To Lady Morgan. [1] xxj-liij Notice Historique et Culinaire. [1] lv-lxvj Avertissement. lxvij-cviij Histoire. cix-cxvj Fragments. cxvij-cxxvij Des Ceremonies. [1] 1-296. (1)298-313 Table. [1] 1fep. Many small vignettes throughout the book. TOME 2: 218 x 140mm. 1fep. Half-title. Elaborate title page (designed by Careme) [1] Title page. [1] j-xxviij Aphorismes. xxix-xxxj Trait de Devouement d'un Domestique. [1] (2)7-326. (1)328-342. 1fep. Nine folded plates present plus many small vignettes throughout the book. TOME 3: 218 x 140mm. 1fep. Half-title. [1] Title page. [1] (1)2-519. [1] (1)522-544 Table des chaptres.. 1ep. Three single and eleven folded plates present plus many small vignettes throughout the book. All half title, elaborate titles and title pages foxed due to inferior paper being used. All text blocks clean and tight. All volumes in quarter dark tan calf with marbled board. Calf tips to boards. Spines with raised bands, gilt lines, blind tooling and 2 two red labels each. A fine set.
- Marie-Antoine Carême, born June 8, 1784, Paris, France, died January 12, 1833, Paris. A French chef who served the royalty of Europe, wrote several classic works on cuisine, and advanced the notion of cuisine as both an art and a science. Carême was born into a poor family. He began his career at age 15 as a kitchen helper in a Parisian restaurant but soon moved to employment in a fashionable pastry shop, or pâtisserie, frequented by Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand. Carême’s elaborately sculptured confections reached the table of Napoleon himself. Carême thereafter became the chef of Talleyrand (12 years), of the prince regent (the future George IV) of Great Britain (2 years), and briefly, in succession, of Tsar Alexander 1 of Russia, the court of Vienna, the British embassy in Paris, the Prince of Württemberg, the Marquess of Londonderry, and Princess Bagration. He then spent seven years with the Baron de Rothschild at his Ferrières estate. He published the first three volumes of 'L'art de la Cuisine Francaise au xixe-siecle.' by January 1833, while still alive. After his death volumes four and five were edited by his friend the food author Armand Plumerey, from the existing papers of Careme and published by 1834. Interestingly these three volumes can be considered a complete set as well as the set of five with Plumerey's additional two. Careme and his wife were buried together in Montmartre at the Cimetière de Montmartre.

click on image to enlarge

Antiquarian category

ref number: 11307

Roux. Albert & Michel - With both brother's signatures.
On Patisserie.
MICHEL & ALBERT ROUX. (A THIN LINE) PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANTHONY BLAKE (A THIN LINE) A large illustration of cooking equipment. Macdonald Illustrated. With a tipped in 'good-wishes' card from Albert and Michel Roux, signed by each.
Second reprint 1991. 254 x 198mm. 1 marbled fep. Half-Title. The brother's signatures on the verso. Title page. Printer's info. on verso. (1)Dedication page to Jean-Louis Berthet. p6-8 Contents. p9 Forward. p10-19 Introduction. p20-242. p243-245 Glossary. p246-247 Templates. p248-255 Templates. [1] 1 marbled fep. Full of fantastic colour plates of prepared dishes. Blue cloth boards with vibrant dust jacket. Condition as new.
- This book about pastry is largely the story of Michel Roux's career and accomplishment as one of the Master Patissiers of France. Even tho' he followed in the footsteps of his older brother Albert, it was Michel that shone as a Patissier. Every three years the French state organises the most prestigious competition for representatives from 217 professions, assembled into 17 groups comprising among others, such disparate trades as mosaics, ironmongery, sculpture, floral art and of course culinary art; all trades where 'hand and mind' combine. This competition is to achieve the title of 'Meilleur Ouvrier'. This entitles the holder by an official decree, to teach at the highest technical level. Michel achieved after a gruelling competition, that tests every participant to their limit, the title of 'un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France 1976, Patissier-Confiseur'. Thereafter to be considered one of the finest craftsmen in patissierie, in France. This book beyond doubt, reflects that Mastery. It also pays homage to all the friends, colleagues, craftsmen, mentors, and even the lasting influence of his Mother and of course his equally gifted brother, Albert. An incredible book full of full-page photographs, recipes and the history of true master craftsmen.

click on image to enlarge

Modern category

ref number: 11310

ROYAL WEDDING CAKE.
BRIDE CAKE
made by HUNTLEY & PALMERS, LIMITED. for THE LADY ELIZABETH BOWES-LYON on the occasion of her Marriage with H.R.H. THE DUKE OF YORK, K.G. at WESTMINSTER ABBEY APRIL 26TH, 1923. With a finely illustrated border of two intertwining ribbons. The back cover is a little stained and the front cover has a couple of small smudges. Internally very clean.
210 x 172mm. Front cover with fine delicate drawing with the couple's portraits. Above them is the family crests. Underneath the wedding date of 1923. Beautifully delineated with silver and blue. Title page. [1] 2p of The Lady Elizabeth's noble background and her ancestral home of Glamis Castle. A full-page b/w photograph of the huge cake. [1] 9p of description of the tiers of the cake and the symbolism of the decoration. The back page with 2 illustrations of a standing Lion and Lioness. symbolising the couple's Royal connections. Housed in a sympathetic blue and silver marbled cardboard folder.
- Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions from 1936 to 1952 as the wife of King George VI. As George's wife, she was the last empress of India. After her husband died, she was known as Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, the present Queen, Elizabeth II. Born into a family of British nobility, she only came to prominence in 1923 when she married the Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. The couple and their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret, embodied traditional ideas of family and public service. The Duchess undertook a variety of public engagements and became known for her consistently cheerful countenance. In 1936, Elizabeth's husband unexpectedly became king when his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth then became queen. She accompanied her husband on diplomatic tours to France and North America before the start of the Second World War. During the war, her seemingly indomitable spirit provided moral support to the British public. After the war, her husband's health deteriorated, and she was widowed at the age of 51. Her elder daughter, aged 25, became the new queen. After the death of Queen Mary in 1953, Elizabeth was viewed as the matriarch of the British royal family. In her later years, she was a consistently popular member of the family, even when other members were suffering from low levels of public approval. She continued an active public life until just a few months before her death at the age of 101 years, 238 days, which was seven weeks after the death of her younger daughter, Princess Margaret. This brochure of the Queen Mother's wedding cake was following a long Royal tradition of making public the details and pageantry of a Royal marriage, all carefully presented and choreographed. The cake had four tiers. The base Tier 7.5 feet in circumference. The decoration of all the tiers was very carefully inclusive and thought out, to include all the aspects of the couple's nobility and the various strands of ancestry and contemporary obligations. Described here in amazing detail. Very rarely found appearing on the market.

click on image to enlarge

Ephemera category

ref number: 11316

KOFFMANN. PIERRE One menu signed by Koffmann.
Two Menus from the original La Tante Claire Restaurant.
1. a la'Carte. 2. Carte des Desserts.
ITEM 1. 330 x 220mm. A large white elegant four-page cardboard menu. With embossed tooling and delicate blue and yellow decorative lines. The name of the restaurant is based on a raised tooled square. Inside yellow cover with a tipped-in label of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 1993 wine. The facing recto page is the same blind tooling is a copy of a Herni Matisse still life 118 x 95mm. Underneath signed by Koffmann with a cartoon image of a chef's head and hat. Inside two pages of an a la'carte menu. [1] Back Cover. ITEM 2. 220 x 151mm. Exactly the same elegant design and paper, with one page of desserts on the inside. Both as new. No Blemishes. Housed in a large cardboard cover with marbled paper.
- La Tante Claire opened in 1977 at 68/69 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HP. The signature dish of the restaurant was [Pied de cochon aux morilles] pig's trotter with chicken mousseline, sweetbreads and morels; which when served elsewhere by Marco Pierre White, are referred to as "Pig's Trotters Pierre Koffmann". Within six years of opening, the restaurant gained its third Michelin star. It relocated from the original premises in 1998, moving to a location within The Berkeley hotel. Following the closure of the Royal Hospital Road, the premises were sold to Gordon Ramsay and would become his flagship restaurant. In the new location, the restaurant lost its third Michelin star and was reduced to two before closing in 2003. In 2009, Koffmann opened a pop-up restaurant at Selfridges Store, Oxford Street in London using the menu items from La Tante Claire. In 2010, Koffmann opened his first full-time restaurant since La Tante Claire, called 'Koffmann's' at The Berkeley Hotel, the same hotel as La Tante Claire used to be at, although at a different location within the hotel. Koffmann is a hugely admired chef within chef's circles. This is due in part to his natural modesty and the quality of his cooking speaking for him. He trained many good chefs and those that were interviewed about their observations of Koffmann, expressed very warm sentiments and praised him highly for his cuisine. His manner was in sharp contrast to the those skilled, but sometimes egotistical chefs appearing in print and TV cooking programmes. Koffmann can probably be best described, as a 'Chef's Chef'.

click on image to enlarge

Ephemera category

ref number: 11320

KOFFMANN. PIERRE - A signed copy.
MEMORIES OF GASCONY.
Pierre Koffman with Timothy Shaw. Photographs by Anthony Blake. Illustrations by Christopher Corr.
FIRST EDITION 1990. 285 X 220mm. 1fep. Half-title with Koffman's signature. A double page title with Antony Blake's signature dated 12.5 90. Verso with Pub. details. p5. Contents. A photograph of Koffmann in the dining room of La Tante Claire. 7-9 Prologue. 10-13 Introduction. A double page title for Spring. 16-69. A double page title for Summer. 73-121. A double page title for Autumn. 124-185. A double page title for Winter. 188-247. 248-251 Epilogue. 252-254 Index. p255 Restaurants and Wines of Gascony. p256 Acknowledgements. 1fep. Cream coloured cloth hard cover with black text on the front and spine. d/w fine condition. The whole as new.
- Memories of Gascony centres on the Oratoire, the farmhouse of Pierre Koffmann's grandparents Marcel and Camille Cadeillan, situated in the village of Saint Puy in the heart of rural Gascony in the department of the Gers. This is an intimate account of school holidays spent helping his grandfather to harvest and hunt, and learning to treasure seasonality and the best ingredients at his grandmother's side. The finest of Gascony produce is here, with a focus on simplicity. The recipes stand the test of time. While you read the charming stories of everyday life on the farm, especially the foods available thro' each season, you'll understand the loss today, where foods shipped and available from all corners of the globe, at any time of the year, has wiped out the anticipation and delight seasonal tastes will bring. Read about Koffmann's Gascony dishes; 'Dandelion salad with bacon and poached egg', 'Grilled chicken with shallots and vinaigrette'. 'Greengages in armagnac' in Spring'; 'Chicken liver pate with capers'. 'Bayonne ham tart with garlic'. 'Oeufs a la neige' in Summer; 'Roast hare with mustard and beetroot'. 'Salt cod cassoulet and quince jelly' in Autumn; 'Fried eggs with foie gras, potato and bacon'. 'Pie and tarte aux pruneaux' in Winter; This is a book to love and learn great cooking from. Koffmann first worked as a chef in Strasbourg and Toulon, before moving in 1970 to the UK to work with Michel and Albert Roux at Le Gavroche. He originally only wanted to move to the UK so that he could see England play France at rugby at Twickenham Stadium. He then moved to the Roux brothers' Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, in 1972, being made the first head chef of the new restaurant, where he met his future wife Annie who was the restaurant's manager. He opened his own first restaurant, La Tante Claire, in 1977 in Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea. During his time at La Tante Claire, Koffmann worked and trained several chefs, including Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Marcus Wareing and Tom Kitchin soon to share the same eminence. This is a great cook book that was recognised and awarded the Glenfiddich Food Book of the Year in 1991.

click on image to enlarge

Modern category

ref number: 11322

KRIEGL. GEORGE CHRISTOF ITEM # 2. Royal Seal of Maria Theresia Christina.
Wachssiegelplatten
of von Maria Theresia v. Österreich.
ITEM # 2. 263 x 165 mm. The seal housed in a solid clam-shell box with red felt cushioned cloth. The boards dark brown cloth and dark brown leather quarter spine with raised bands. 2 red labels with gilt lettering. A handsome item.
- Since the 15th century, Royals and lesser important persons had their own seals created to seal their own official letters/envelopes etc. The seal would be in the form of a large desk seal, seal fob or very small seal ring. The original seal would be especially commissioned and be of excellent clarity and quality. When the seal was bought, the seal engraver would send through a sample wax impression in a fine lidded case for the purchaser to check the clarity of the impression. This Royal Seal wax impression presented to Maria Theresa of Austria is such an example. The seals were also made to be attached to important royal deeds, charters etc. These deeds were in parchment or velum and would sometimes be signed by the Queen. They would mostly be chirographs or indentures. Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina: 13 May 1717 to 29 November 1780, was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions, ruling from 1740 until her death in 1780. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress. Maria Theresa started her 40-year reign when her father, Emperor Charles VI, died in October 1740. Though she was expected to cede power to her husband, Emperor Francis I, and her eldest son, Emperor Joseph II, who were officially her co-rulers in Austria and Bohemia, Maria Theresa was the absolute sovereign who ruled with the counsel of her advisers. She promulgated institutional, financial, medical and educational reforms, with the assistance of Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg, Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz and Gerard van Swieten. She also promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. However, she despised the Jews and the Protestants, and on certain occasions she ordered their expulsion to remote parts of the realm. She also advocated for the state church and refused to allow religious pluralism. Whatever her weaknesses her reign produced lasting benefits.

click on image to enlarge