John III Doukas (1222-1254)
Obverse
Christ standing, wearing a tunic and himation and holding the right hand in blessing and in the left a stylized book decorated with a cross. He has a nimbus cruciger; each arm is decorated with a pellet in the center and two dots above and below. Sigla at left and right: Ἰ(ησοῦ)ς Χ(ριστό)ς. Inscription in a column at right: [ὁ Χαλ]κίτης. Border of dots.
Reverse
The emperor standing on a circular suppedion, wearing a crown and chlamys that extends outward into a triangular design. He holds in the right hand a short labarum and in the left a globus cruciger. Inscription in two columns. Border of dots.
ΙΩ Ο
ΔΕΣ Δ
ΠΟΤ ..
ΗΣ ..
Ἰω(άννης) δεσπότης ὁ Δ[ούκας]
Obverse
Christ standing, wearing a tunic and himation and holding the right hand in blessing and in the left a stylized book decorated with a cross. He has a nimbus cruciger; each arm is decorated with a pellet in the center and two dots above and below. Sigla at left and right: Ἰ(ησοῦ)ς Χ(ριστό)ς. Inscription in a column at right: [ὁ Χαλ]κίτης. Border of dots.
Reverse
The emperor standing on a circular suppedion, wearing a crown and chlamys that extends outward into a triangular design. He holds in the right hand a short labarum and in the left a globus cruciger. Inscription in two columns. Border of dots.
ΙΩ Ο
ΔΕΣ Δ
ΠΟΤ ..
ΗΣ ..
Ἰω(άννης) δεσπότης ὁ Δ[ούκας]
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.1700 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 42.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 6, no. 102.1; Zacos-Veglery, no. 117. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
Ἰωάννης δεσπότης ὁ Δούκας.
John Doukas, despotes.
Bibliography
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Zacos (Seals 2, no. 772) has edited the seal of a certain Aaron on which a standing figure of Christ is accompanied by vertical inscriptions identifying him as Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ Χαλκίτης.
For a different type of seal belonging to John III Doukas, with two variations, see Zacos-Veglery, no. 118.