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') The Mother of God, nimbate, standing to right, raising both hands in supplication towards Christ, standing to left, wearing nimbus cruciger, raising his right hand in benediction within a fold of his garment and holding a book of Gospels in his left hand. 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.