Constantine IV (681–85)
Obverse
Half-length representation of Constantine IV, bearded, head turned slightly to the right. He wears a crown with a plume and ribbons, a cuirass, and a chlamys. He wears his hair long at the sides and curled, and his sidelocks at right are combed downward and outward. He holds in the right hand a spear behind his head and in his left hand a shield decorated with a horseman device. No epigraphy. Wreath border.
Reverse
Large potent cross. No epigraphy. No border
Obverse
Half-length representation of Constantine IV, bearded, head turned slightly to the right. He wears a crown with a plume and ribbons, a cuirass, and a chlamys. He wears his hair long at the sides and curled, and his sidelocks at right are combed downward and outward. He holds in the right hand a spear behind his head and in his left hand a shield decorated with a horseman device. No epigraphy. Wreath border.
Reverse
Large potent cross. No epigraphy. No border
| Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4264 (formerly DO 55.1.4264) |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 30.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 6, no. 23.2; Zacos–Veglery, no. 22c. For similar seals, see Likhachev, “Nekotorye,” 521–22, figs. 53 and 54. |
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)
- Nekotorye stareishie tipy pechati vizantijskich imperatorov (Open in Zotero)
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Vol. 2, Phocas to Theodosius III (602–717) (Open in Zotero)
- Moneta Imperii Byzantini: Rekonstruktion des Prägeaufbaues auf synoptisch-tabellarischer Grundlage (Open in Zotero)
- Catalogue des monnaies byzantines de la Bibliothèque nationale (Open in Zotero)
- Das byzantinische Bleisiegel als Kunstwerk: Katalog zur Ausstellung (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Grierson has argued that Constantine deposed his brothers Herakleios and Tiberios, at least for the final time, in 681. Prior to that date he issued gold coins decorated on the obverse with a bearded bust of Constantine and on the obverse with a cross-on-steps flanked by Herakleios at left and Tiberios at right. Subsequently, the reverse depicted on the cross-on-steps. Since no corulers appear, this entry follows Zacos and Veglery in assigned this seal to the period of 681–85 (DOC 2.2:15d [class 4]; MIB 3: Prägetabelle 8, no. 10).
Both Constantine’s coins and seals set aside an austere depiction in favor of a heroic type, one that has its roots in imperial depictions of the fifth and sixth centuries. Its last appearance was during the early years of the reign of Justinian I. Morrisson has suggested that the type may have been revived due to ideological reasons that influenced Constantine’s decision to bestow on a son born in 669 the name Justinian (BNC 1: p. 374).
Constantine’s seals are remarkable for the replacement of the Virgin with a cross potent. As Seibt observes, the cross, which symbolizes Christ’s triumph over death, may serve as a victory motif (Seibt–Zarnitz, 32, and Koltsida-Makri, “Representation of the Cross,” 45–46).
In contrast with BZS.1958.106.544, the bust is much larger and in higher relief. Still, the details of dress are poorly executed when compared with gold coins of the Constantinopolitan mint. The vertical bars of all the crosses potent in this section have lower sections longer than their upper ones.