Flanders (located within the borders of what is now the Netherlands and
Belgium) was one of the great commercial centers of medieval Europe. Above
is the seal (c. 1281) of the city of Bruges, one of the major Flemish cities.
The seal (N1634, Archives Nationales, Paris) depicts the Chapel of Saint-Sang
in Bruges.
This is the seal of the city of Ypres, dated 1372 (F4130, Archives Nationales,
Paris). In Chaucer's day, the Flemish cities of Ypres and Ghent were at the
heart of the cloth/textile industry. The seal depicts the Ypres town hall.
To view more images of city seals from Continental Europe, see the page
maintained by the
Library of the
Medieval Institute at Notre Dame.
Here are a few seals of various guilds in Bruges: the cartwrights (left),
the roofers (center), and the pewterers (right). These seals all date from
1407 and are in the Archives Nationales, Paris.
You might also want to take a look at the guild seals of the Bruges
fishmongerers and
vintners.