John (?) Kastamonites (twelfth century)
Obverse
The Dormition of the Virgin. No sigla visible. Indeterminate border.
Reverse
Inscription of at least four lines, three lines visible. Indeterminate border.
......
Π̣ΟΙΣ
ΚΑΑ
ΝΤΗΝ̣
[Θ(εοτό)κε σκέ]ποις μ[ε] Κασταμ[ο]νίτην
Obverse
The Dormition of the Virgin. No sigla visible. Indeterminate border.
Reverse
Inscription of at least four lines, three lines visible. Indeterminate border.
......
Π̣ΟΙΣ
ΚΑΑ
ΝΤΗΝ̣
[Θ(εοτό)κε σκέ]ποις μ[ε] Κασταμ[ο]νίτην
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.1130 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 16.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden I, no. 1005. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
Θεοτόκε σκέποις με Κασταμονίτην.
Mother of God, may you protect me, Kastamonites.
Bibliography
- Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 1, Siegellegenden von Alpha bis inclusive My (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Dodecasyllabic. This is also one of the rare Byzantine seals depicting a narrative scene.
Our reading is provisional and requires confirmation or correction from a better preserved parallel. There appears to have been a line at the top of the reverse, which is now missing. Another (metrical) reading is plausibly restored by Wassiliou-Seibt as Ἰω(άννην) σῴζοις με Κασταμονίτην. Note also the metrical verse found on the seal of a John Kastamonites who may well be the same man (BZS.1951.31.5.606, linked to this entry)