Cloth Seal, German, Ulm

Cloth Seal, German, Ulm, Image Submitted by Paul Cannon.
From German Ebay, ?mm

V? / TRA(V)B // V / arms of Ulm, L to left M to right

From Paul Cannon, "Recently came across this Ulm seal on German EBay. Photos of each face are attached. It seems to be a new type.

1)Shield per fess, in chief 4 x 2 lattice with pellets in each void; in base blank. Above shield ‘V’; to left of shield ‘L’ & to right ‘M’ ie VLM for Ulm.

2)Within a circle of pellets, the letters ‘TRAYB’ or possibly ‘TRAVB’. Is there a further letter ?V above this? The word seems to be surrounded by simple trailing flowers/leaves made up of pellets and very simple shapes.

I wonder if this is related to the Ulm seal UKDFD 18277 which you describe as having ‘the letters ‘SAV’ surviving on the rivet stub' [Elton 2017, p302]. I haven’t yet come across a meaning for Trayb/Traub."

After reading this and on closer inspection of UKDFD 18277 it may well say 'RAV' rether than 'SAV'.

More from Paul Cannon, "Traube (pl. Trauben) is German for grape. “… the grape was one of four symbols that gave information about the quality for Swabian fustian on the lead seal. Weavers had to bring their product to municipal controllers, who classified the fustian by the levels ox, lion, grape or a letter”. [Textiles and the Medieval Economy: Production, Trade and Consumption of Textiles, 8th – 16th Centuries: Edited by Angela Ling Huang and Carsten Jahnke, in Memoriam John Munro (1938-2013); Chapter 10: The trade with fustian from Germany to Denmark in the late Middle Ages by Kilian Baur [Oxbow Books (2015), pp153-4]. Swabia is a historical district in the south western part of current Germany but it originally also extended into parts of present day Switzerland and Alsace (France). Ulm lay within this area and the manufacture of linen and fustians brought it great prosperity in the Middle Ages.

Baur’s article seems to suggest that a symbol for the grape, presumably a representation of one, was used. This newly recorded seal perhaps suggests it was the word for grape that was used instead. This being the case the trailing flowers/leaves on the seal can be interpreted as vines.

Ulm seals are definitely known for two of the other fustian grades 1) ox BSG.CS.00979 and 2) lion BSG.CS.01162 Both of these types have the letter ‘V’ above the main image. I am fairly convinced that in the same way I can see the letter ‘V’ above the word ‘TRAVB’."