Anonymous, 10th century. Seal (Lead, 24 mm, 5.16 g, 12 h). H / A/R... Female figure enthroned facing, holding a trident (or a torch?) in her right hand, seated facing on a sea dragon with a coiled tail and breathing fire; to her left, bird flying downwards; below, fish or dolphin swimming to left, all within an elaborately decorated pearled border. Rev. Griffin jumping to right, within an elaborately decorated pearled border. Apparently unpublished. An exceptional and intriguing Byzantine seal with enigmatic iconography. Breakage along the channel on the reverse, otherwise, good very fine.



The iconography on this seal is truly remarkable and quite possibly unique, which complicates the identification of the depicted woman. She lacks a nimbus, suggesting she is not a saint but rather a personification. While personified concepts are ubiquitous and cherished in Roman art, they become rare in Byzantine imagery, where saints dominate the artistic repertoire. Nonetheless, we do have contemporary parallels. Notably, the illuminations of the 10th-century Paris Psalter include personifications such as Wisdom and Strength, as well as abstract or natural elements like the Red Sea and Night. The figure on our seal may belong to this visual tradition, although her precise identity remains uncertain.

The dragon typically symbolizes evil, yet here it does not appear particularly fearsome; it seems already subdued. Moreover, the focus of the seated figure is directed toward the viewer, rather than the creature. One relevant Western parallel is the legend of Saint Martha and the Tarasque, in which Martha subdues a dragon through prayer and holy water. However, this identification is unlikely, as the legend is not part of Eastern Orthodox tradition and is only attested in 12th-century Western sources.

In sum, this is a fascinating object - rooted in Byzantine tradition yet distinctly diverging from its conventional iconographic norms.