Anonymous (eleventh century, second half)
Obverse
St George, standing, in military costume, holding a lance in his right hand and with his left hand supporting a sword in its scabbard on the ground. Inscription in two columns: .|Γ̣|Ε|ΓΙ|Ο, : [ὁ ἅ(γιος)] Γε[ώ](ρ)γιο(ς). Border of dots.
Reverse
St Theodore standing, in military costume holding a lance in his right hand and resting a shield on the ground with his left. Inscription in two columns: |Θ|ΕΟ|Δ,Ρ|Ο, : ὁ ἅ(γιος) Θεόδ(ω)ρο(ς). Border of dots.
Obverse
St George, standing, in military costume, holding a lance in his right hand and with his left hand supporting a sword in its scabbard on the ground. Inscription in two columns: .|Γ̣|Ε|ΓΙ|Ο, : [ὁ ἅ(γιος)] Γε[ώ](ρ)γιο(ς). Border of dots.
Reverse
St Theodore standing, in military costume holding a lance in his right hand and resting a shield on the ground with his left. Inscription in two columns: |Θ|ΕΟ|Δ,Ρ|Ο, : ὁ ἅ(γιος) Θεόδ(ω)ρο(ς). Border of dots.
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.3541 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 26.0 mm; field: 15.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 7, no. 16.14. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 7: The Iconographic Seals (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
It is rare to have the military saint resting a sword with its scabbard on the ground instead of the usual shield. Among the major published collections, of 2,046 military figures, just 41, or 2%, are depicted as Saint George is here. The majority of these examples belong to the second half of the eleventh century. A similar presentation is found with one of the military figures on the reverse of no. 10.69, above.