Anonymous (eleventh century, second half)
Obverse
The Mother of God standing and holding Christ before her, flanked by her usual sigla and the inscription of the epithet, the Kyriotissa. Sigla: –ΘΥ : Μή(τη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Inscription: ΗΚΥ|Ι–ΤΙ|ΣΑ : ἡ Κυριώτισα. Border of dots.
Reverse
The archangel Michael standing, wearing the imperial loros, and holding a scepter in his right hand and a globus cruciger in his left. Sigla preserved at right: Χ|Α : [Μ(ι)χ(αὴλ)] Ἀ(ρ)χ(άγγελος). Border of dots.
Obverse
The Mother of God standing and holding Christ before her, flanked by her usual sigla and the inscription of the epithet, the Kyriotissa. Sigla: –ΘΥ : Μή(τη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Inscription: ΗΚΥ|Ι–ΤΙ|ΣΑ : ἡ Κυριώτισα. Border of dots.
Reverse
The archangel Michael standing, wearing the imperial loros, and holding a scepter in his right hand and a globus cruciger in his left. Sigla preserved at right: Χ|Α : [Μ(ι)χ(αὴλ)] Ἀ(ρ)χ(άγγελος). Border of dots.
| Accession number | BZS.1947.2.17 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 20.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 5 no. 45.2; DO Seals 7, no. 11.6. Laurent, Corpus 5.2: no. 1156 (no. 1157 on pl. 147). Similar specimen in Sig., 158. |
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 5: The East (continued), Constantinople and Environs, Unknown Locations, Addenda, Uncertain Readings (Open in Zotero)
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Sigillographie de l’Empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The image of the Virgin Kyriotissa has been associated with the Constantinopolitan monastery of the Theotokos ta Kyrou (τὰ Κύρου) (see Janin, Églises, 193-195 and Berger, “Roman, Byzantine and Latin Periods,” 8-17). The epithet Kyriotissa is most often applied to a Marian type as found on our seal: a standing image of the Virgin holding the Christ Child directly in front of her, where the image of Christ is not within a medallion. For discussion of the iconographic type of the Virgin Kyriotissa, see Kalopissi-Verti, Hagia Triada, 213-216; Tatić-Djurić, “Kyriotissa,” 759-786; Pitarakis, “Un groupe,” 81-102; and eadem, Croix-reliquqires, 57-60. In addition to our seal, and its similar examples cited above, the epithet appears on four other seals from the major published collections: Lihačev, IZIGI, 71, fig. 140, Tavl. 4, no. 19; Laurent, Corpus 2, no. 209 (citing two parallel examples published by Lihačev, IZIGI, 73 and Stavrakos, Familiennamen, no. 26); and Jordanov, Bulgaria 2, no. 399 (republished in his Bulgaria 3, no. 1966). The two parallel examples in the Hermitage and Athens cited by Laurent bear the epithet Kyriotissa accompanying a bust image of the Virgin holding a medallion of Christ. For additional discussion of the sphragistic image of the Virgin Kyriotissa, see Koltsida-Makre, “The Iconography of the Virgin,” 32-33.
Although our seal was published in DOSeals 5, no. 45.2 as a seal issued from the Constantinopolitan church or monastery of the Theotokos ta Kyrou this is an uncertain attribution to which even the editors of that volume acknowledge by placing a question mark (?) next to the catalogue-entry and clearly state in their discussion of the piece. In Galavaris’ article, he designates the seal as “anonymous.” As the editors of DOSeals 5 observe, the choice of the image of the Virgin Kyriotissa for this seal may just as well reflect an individual’s personal devotion to a specific Marian icon that enjoyed widespread fame. In light of the seal’s uncertain ownership, it is republished in this current volume as another example of the anonymous iconographic seals. Laurent and the editors of DOSeals 5 also point out the pairing of the image of the Virgin with an archangel on this seal as referencing a specific cult. But this, too, is uncertain since images of the Virgin and an archangel, usually Michael, are among the most popular found on seals.