ROMAN. Seal (Lead, 22 mm, 6.70 g), circa late 3rd-4th centuries. Bare-headed, bearded and draped bust to left. Rev. Blank. Unpublished in the standard references. A wonderful seal of an anonymous late Roman dignitary. Extremely fine.

Numerous personal seals that feature the portrait of the owner date to late Roman and early Byzantine times. Some of these carry the names of their owners, but many have fragmentary legends or are, like the present example, anepigraphic. These seals portray individuals who must have belonged to the upper strata of Roman aristocracy, but these people are now long forgotten except for a few pieces of lead that hence attract a special kind of fascination