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Primary sourceArtifact

Terminus Seal of Erasmus

Peter Portner

A gold ring and silver seal matrix belonging to Erasmus, bearing his personal emblem Terminus.

This seal belonged personally to Erasmus and carried his chosen emblem Terminus.

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Photograph of a gold ring with a red carnelian intaglio showing a carved figure, beside a silver seal matrix with a bearded man's head in profile-to-front view and Latin inscription around the rim.
Peter Portner, seal and ring of Erasmus of Rotterdam. Amerbach Cabinet, Historisches Museum Basel.

About this source

What it is

This is a gold ring with a carved carnelian stone and a silver seal matrix made by Peter Portner, preserved in the Amerbach Cabinet. It belonged to Erasmus of Rotterdam and carries his personal emblem.

Why it matters

Objects like seals were used to mark letters and documents as genuinely from their owner. This seal, tied to Erasmus's chosen symbol Terminus, shows how he built a personal brand around his ideals of firmness and unyielding principle, carried with him in everyday objects.

Look closer

  • Why would a scholar like Erasmus need a personal seal?
  • What might the carved figure on the ring represent?
  • How does an everyday object like a seal tell us about a person's identity?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Desiderius Erasmus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Hans Holbein the Younger · 1523

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