1622 King James 1 Great Seal with Vellum Document (Ambassador Commission)

Great Seal of King James 1 of England. Beautiful 6" seal attached to large 25" x 17" vellum document signed by King James (signed "Jacobus R"). It is a commission for Sir Richard Weston (1577-1635) for his embassy to Germany. Includes an initial letter portrait of the King within a stapwork letter "J" in pen and ink and wash, margins decorated with scrolling flowers and foliage. Lines ruled in red. Attached is a 6" Great Seal in brown wax.  Weston was sent to Brussels in the Spring of 1622 to secure an end to fighting (the early stages of the Thirty Years War) and the restoration of the Palatinate. It is likely that this document was this very commission, which enabled him to attend a conference on the restoration of the Palatinate to the Elector Frederick, husband of James 1' daughter, the Princess Elizabeth. "Weston became disillusioned with Spanish diplomacy, writing ‘desperate letters’ home. On 16 Aug. he complained to Cranfield that whereas Lord Digby (Sir John Digby*), the ambass