Anonymous, 11th-12th century. Seal (Lead, 26 mm, 13.57 g, 12 h). M / ΘV - IC / XC - O / ЄV/[ЄP]/ΓЄ/T ('Mother of God. Jesus Christ the Benefactor'). Rev. H KHMI/C, The Dormition of the Virgin (Koimesis): Christ at the center, standing left, holding soul of the Virgin; below, bier with the reclining Virgin surrounded by rows of apostles; below to right, Saint Peter swinging a censer; to upper left and right, two half-length busts of angels. Do Seals VII 1.12. Sandrovskaja, Sfragistika no. 805. A marvellous iconographic seal with an extremely rare Dormition scene. Some flatness, otherwise, very fine.


Though Scripture does not refer to the Dormition of the Virgin (Koimesis in Greek), a lively tradition surrounding her passing developed in Late Antiquity. In contrast to Christ's suffering at the Cross, the Dormition is a tranquil event, the soul of the Virgin endearingly being carried off by the Lord as the apostles, who were magically teleported to Mary's deathbed, look on. The scene was a beloved topic on Byzantine icons, and its appearance on our piece attests the influence of contemporary art on seals.