To successfully create seals, it would be necessary to be skilled in drawing and metalwork. Generally, someone exceptionally skilled in drawing, like craftspeople, would create a sketch of the image and inscription. And then, either the same person or someone else who is skilled in metalwork would complete the process of melting lead, creating the impression, and attaching it to a document. These craftspeople were likely elite and connected to the government because they needed to handle the documents they put the seals onto. 

Innate Conservatism of Seals

Similar designs on seals over time suggest an innate conservatism of an emperor's public-facing image for several reasons about their assertion of authority. The seals of the first three emperors of the newly founded Latin empire in Constantinople undoubtedly have similar images and inscriptions. The first Latin emperor, Baldwin I (r. 1204-1205), had a seal with extremely similar imagery on the obverse and reverse sides of the seal. On both Baldwin I's and his brother Henry's seals, you can see the emperor sitting on a throne adorned with religious objects on the obverse side and the emperor in a chivalric and militaristic stance on the reverse side. Both seals contain Latin and Greek inscriptions. 

In addition to this pair of seals, the final Latin emperor, Baldwin II, who ruled from 1228 until the empire's fall in 1261, has an extremely similar seal to his predecessors' seals. Again, the images are almost identical as they all portray the empire on his throne with religious objects on the obverse side and on horseback in a militaristic stance on the reverse side. 

The conservatism of these images throughout the entire regime of the Latin empire suggests a certain image the emperor wanted to represent himself with. These seals are rooted in the same religious and military imagery foundational to the emperor's power. This commitment through imagery is not a new phenomenon and can be cited in many seals throughout history, including the Seal of Amalric, also in this exhibition. 
 

These seals remain consistent in using dual-language inscriptions in Greek and Latin to preserve the two peoples living in the Latin empire, Greek-speaking members of the former Byzantine empire and Latin-speaking Crusaders of the newly founded Latin empire. The seals of the first two emperors, Baldwin I and Henry I are nearly identical in their images and have inscriptions that link them to being powerful rulers destined by God in Latin and Greek texts. 

The seal of the last emperor, Baldwin II, is very similar to the other two seals. While these images and inscriptions are preserved throughout time, there are a few differences that are evidence of changes in the empire by the end of its fall. The most notable difference in Baldwin II's seal is the increasingly "Byzantinized" image of the emperor on the obverse side of the seal. As seen in the seals of his predecessors, the Western throne has been traded for a traditional Byzantine throne. 

The inscriptions are also slightly different on Baldwin II's seal. The obverse side of the seal contains a nearly identical Latin inscription regarding the emperor's divine authority, but this time connecting him to the first Roman Emperor Augustus. This addition of Augustus in this inscription augments the emperor's power as a ruler of the Latin empire since it connects him to one of the most influential rulers of one of the greatest empires of all time. 

On the reverse side of Baldwin II's seal, the image of the emperor on horseback is kept. But, the inscription in Greek adds to the other seals' inscriptions with a Byzantine title. The conservation of certain aspects of these seals demonstrates how vital this image was to the emperor and their regime. It was necessary to present themselves in a position of absolute power and importance with legitimization through divine connections and military expertise.