Skip to Content

Michael III and Theodora (843?–856)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of Michael III, bearded, wearing a crown surmounted by a cross and a chlamys pinned with a fibula on his right shoulder. He holds a labarum in his right hand. No legible epigraphy or border.

Reverse

Bust of Theodora, wearing a crown with two triangular projections (only the one at the right is visible) and a loros, and holding in her left hand a cross scepter. Traces of a circular inscription at right. No visible border.

Obverse

Bust of Michael III, bearded, wearing a crown surmounted by a cross and a chlamys pinned with a fibula on his right shoulder. He holds a labarum in his right hand. No legible epigraphy or border.

Reverse

Bust of Theodora, wearing a crown with two triangular projections (only the one at the right is visible) and a loros, and holding in her left hand a cross scepter. Traces of a circular inscription at right. No visible border.

Accession number BZS.1955.1.4272 (formerly DO 55.1.4272)
Diameter 27.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 6, no. 48.1; Zacos–Veglery, no. 55b.

Commentary

The portraits of Michael III and Theodora resemble those from the reverse of solidi which Grierson has dated to 843(?)–56 (DOC 3.1:2.1 [pl. 28]).

Zacos and Veglery believed that on the reverse they could read the letters RA at right.

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
  • Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Vol. 3, Leo III to Nicephorus III (717–1081) (Open in Zotero)