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John imperial spatharokandidatos and chartoularios of the dromos of the Anatolikoi (ninth century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin with the medallion before her. On the left, a cruciform monogram of Θεοτόκε; at right, of βοήθει. Border of dots.

Θεοτόκε βοήθει

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

.ΙΝ
ˊΣΠΘˊΚΝ
ΔΙΔˊΧΡˊΤΟΥ
ΔΡΟΜ
ΤΟΝ

ΝΤΟΛΙΚ

Ἰωάννῃ βασιλικῷ σπαθαροκανδιδάτῳ καὶ χαρτουλαρίῳ τοῦ δρόμου τον Ἀνατολικῶν

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin with the medallion before her. On the left, a cruciform monogram of Θεοτόκε; at right, of βοήθει. Border of dots.

Θεοτόκε βοήθει

Reverse

Inscription of five lines. Border of dots.

.ΙΝ
ˊΣΠΘˊΚΝ
ΔΙΔˊΧΡˊΤΟΥ
ΔΡΟΜ
ΤΟΝ

ΝΤΟΛΙΚ

Ἰωάννῃ βασιλικῷ σπαθαροκανδιδάτῳ καὶ χαρτουλαρίῳ τοῦ δρόμου τον Ἀνατολικῶν

Accession number BZS.1958.106.2709
Diameter 26.0 mm; field: 22.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 3, no. 86.10a.
Laurent, Corpus II, no. 461.

Translation

Θεοτόκε βοήθει Ἰωάννῃ βασιλικῷ σπαθαροκανδιδάτῳ καὶ χαρτουλαρίῳ τοῦ δρόμου τον Ἀνατολικῶν.

Mother of God, help John, imperial spatharokandidatos and chartoularios of the dromos of the Anatolikoi.

Commentary

The representation of the Virgin between two monograms is typical of the Iconophile revival, but the present seal is certainly later (it may even be considered as proof that this type survived well after 843) because it is decorated with a Virgin of the Photian type (Dated Seals, no. 53), and features borders of dots and the R-shaped beta.

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 3: West, Northwest, and Central Asia Minor and the Orient (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • A Collection of Dated Byzantine Lead Seals (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
  • Documents de sigillographie byzantine: La collection C. Orghidan (Open in Zotero)
  • Sceaux byzantins du Musée National de Varsovie (Open in Zotero)
  • Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
  • Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)