Skip to Content

John II Komnenos (1118–1143)

 
 

Obverse

Christ seated on a high-backed throne, wearing a tunic and himation. He holds the right hand in blessing and a book in the left. His feet rest on a dais, the border of which is ornamented with pellets. Border of dots.

Reverse

John II standing on a dais, wearing a loros and holding in the right hand a labarum (only partially visible). Remains of a circular inscription at right. Border of dots.

. . . γενιτ . . .

[Ἰω(άννῃ) δεσπότ(ῃ) τῷ πορφυρο]γενίτ[ῳ].

Obverse

Christ seated on a high-backed throne, wearing a tunic and himation. He holds the right hand in blessing and a book in the left. His feet rest on a dais, the border of which is ornamented with pellets. Border of dots.

Reverse

John II standing on a dais, wearing a loros and holding in the right hand a labarum (only partially visible). Remains of a circular inscription at right. Border of dots.

. . . γενιτ . . .

[Ἰω(άννῃ) δεσπότ(ῃ) τῷ πορφυρο]γενίτ[ῳ].

Accession number BZS.1947.2.352
Diameter 27.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 6, no. 91.7.

Translation

Ἰωάννῃ δεσπότῃ τῷ πορφυρογενίτῳ.

John porphyrogennetos, despotes.

Commentary

The use of the dative case is unusual as there is no invocation accompanying the inscription. For coins of John II with a similar dative inscription see DOC 4.1: no. 12a.

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)
  • Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Vol. 4, Alexius I to Michael VIII (1081–1261) (Open in Zotero)