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John II Komnenos (1118–1143)

 
 

Obverse

Christ seated on a high-back throne. Details unclear. Linear border.

Reverse

John II standing, wearing a loros, an end of which is draped over the left wrist and decorated with four pellets. He holds in the left hand a globus cruciger. Remains of a circular inscription at right. Border of dots.

. . .ρφυρογενιτ

[Ἰω(άννῃ) δεσπότ(ῃ) τῷ πορ]φυρογενίτῳ.

Obverse

Christ seated on a high-back throne. Details unclear. Linear border.

Reverse

John II standing, wearing a loros, an end of which is draped over the left wrist and decorated with four pellets. He holds in the left hand a globus cruciger. Remains of a circular inscription at right. Border of dots.

. . .ρφυρογενιτ

[Ἰω(άννῃ) δεσπότ(ῃ) τῷ πορ]φυρογενίτῳ.

Accession number BZS.1951.31.5.1801
Diameter 34.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 6, no. 91.6.

Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore.

Translation

[Ἰωάννῃ δεσπότῃ τῷ πορφυρογενίτῳ.

John porphyrogennetos, despotes.

Commentary

The reverse seems to be double struck, possibly because one handle of the boulloterion was somewhat loose.

The use of the dative case is unusual as there is no invocation accompanying the inscription. For coins of John II with a similar dative inscription see DOC 4.1: no. 12a.

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
  • Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Vol. 4, Alexius I to Michael VIII (1081–1261) (Open in Zotero)