Anonymous (eleventh century)
Obverse
Archangel Michael standing on a suppedion, wearing the imperial loros and holding a trefoil scepter in his right hand and a globus cruciger in his left. Sigla: Χ̣|ΑΧ|ΜH : Ἀ(ρ)χ(άγγελος) Μηχ(αὴλ). Border of dots.
Reverse
St George standing on a suppedion, in civil costume, holding a small cross in his right hand, his left hand is indistinct. Inscription in two columns: Ο̣|Α|ΓΙ|Ο,ΓΕ|Ρ|ΓΙ|ΟΣ : ὁ ἅγιο(ς) Γεώργιος. Border of dots.
Obverse
Archangel Michael standing on a suppedion, wearing the imperial loros and holding a trefoil scepter in his right hand and a globus cruciger in his left. Sigla: Χ̣|ΑΧ|ΜH : Ἀ(ρ)χ(άγγελος) Μηχ(αὴλ). Border of dots.
Reverse
St George standing on a suppedion, in civil costume, holding a small cross in his right hand, his left hand is indistinct. Inscription in two columns: Ο̣|Α|ΓΙ|Ο,ΓΕ|Ρ|ΓΙ|ΟΣ : ὁ ἅγιο(ς) Γεώργιος. Border of dots.
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.3487 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 28.0 mm; field: 21.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 7, 12.18 (dated to the middle of the eleventh century). |
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 7: The Iconographic Seals (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
This seal and its parallel, BZS.1951.31.5.3488, offer unique examples of a military saint dressed in civil aristocratic attire, holding a martyr's cross and a sword. For a discussion of the transition from civil to military costume among military saints on seals, see Cotsonis, "Contribution," 469-73.