Anonymous, 4th century. Seal (Lead, 14 mm, 3.81 g, 9 h). Daniel in the lion’s den: Daniel standing with his arms raised in prayer, lion on either side, heads turned inward. Rev. Uncertain. B. Asamer and H. Winter: Antike Bleiplomben mit christlichen Motiven in österreichischen Sammlungen, in: Numismatische Zeitschrift 106/107 (1999) 4. G. Boersema: A Dutch collection of late antique and early Christian lead seals, in: SBS 13 (2019), 6. Leukel N257. Turcan 61. Rough surfaces, otherwise, good fine.


Many scenes from the narrative cycle of Daniel appear in early Christian art, but by far the most beloved episode was that of Daniel in the lion’s den. The story appears in Scripture in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 6. It appears on multiple different media and is attested for several different seal matrices. Because of their visual similarity and the shared symbolism of personal salvation, the scene was frequently combined with the scene of the Good Shepherd.