O-4788
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seal press (House of Commons)

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seal press (House of Commons)

Specifications

Artists	Paul Beau (maker) • Chief Architect's Office, DPW (Artist)
Date	1925/12/08
Signature	Paul Beau
Inscriptions	A.D // 1926 // H of C
Materials	metal, wrought iron • metal, brass • wood, walnut
Dimensions (cm)	28.4 (Length) • 17.0 (Width) • 27.3 (Height)
Functions	Ceremonial artifact

Seal press

The seal press also received a full decorative treatment, which shows the craftsman's skill. Ballflowers, rosettes and fleur-de-lis enhance this mechanical device, while the thistle ornaments the fine foliated handle. Framed with a twisted band, on one side the counterweight features the monogram "H of C", which stands for House of Commons, with the date, 1926. The other side exhibits a beaver head with crosshatched tail, following the artistic traditions of the First Peoples of the Northwest Coast. "The beaver is a good symbol; he is a builder; thus his presence on the seal press of the House of Commons is appropriate, as well as historical."

House of Commons Debates, May 28, 1926

Paul Beau

Paul Beau (1871–1949) of Montreal was a master metal worker associated with Canada’s Arts and Crafts movement. The movement emerged in Britain in response to the factory production of decorative items and gained popularity in urban centres across the Empire from the 1890s through the 1920s. Because of the emphasis it puts on handcrafted elements and traditional materials, the Arts and Crafts style was especially compatible with the Gothic Revival architecture of the Parliament buildings.

Beau supervised a wrought iron workshop on the grounds of Parliament from 1920 through 1926, where he and his team of artisans produced decorative metalwork for the newly opened Centre Block. Their handiwork is visible throughout the building in the form of fireplace accessories, light fixtures, gates, and railings—even certain door hinges. Beau also created the ornate calendar stand, inkstand and seal press placed on the Clerk’s Table in the House of Commons, combining metals of contrasting colours, a technique that is characteristic of his work.

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