- Katılım
- 4 Şub 2022
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The obverse of this splendid seal depicts Gabriel announcing the birth of Jesus to the Virgin, a familiar scene, but very rarely found on Byzantine seals. The episode was known to the Byzantines as the Chairetismos, but interestingly, the seal legend quotes the words of Gabriel from the Gospel of Luke.
From the intricate family ties mentioned in the reverse legend, which is composed of three twelve syllable verses, we can deduce that the owner of our seal was Konstantinos Angelos Doukas, first cousin of Isaac II Angelos and grandson of Theodora Komnene. His grandmother was born in the Porphyra, the Purple chamber, a free standing pavilion of the imperial palace, implying that she was born to an emperor [ Alexios I ] a great honor that was evidently deemed worthy enough to be proudly mentioned by her grandson even a century later. Isaac II Komnenos appointed his cousin Konstantinos, born in circa 1173, as commander of the Byzantine fleet and governor of Philippopolis in the war against the Bulgarian Uprising of Asen and Peter. The young general succeeded in winning some battles against Tsar Theodor-Peter, but when he declared himself emperor in 1193 against the advice of his entourage, he was betrayed by his own followers and handed over to his imperial cousin, who had him blinded.
Click for more Seal images of Byzantine.
From the intricate family ties mentioned in the reverse legend, which is composed of three twelve syllable verses, we can deduce that the owner of our seal was Konstantinos Angelos Doukas, first cousin of Isaac II Angelos and grandson of Theodora Komnene. His grandmother was born in the Porphyra, the Purple chamber, a free standing pavilion of the imperial palace, implying that she was born to an emperor [ Alexios I ] a great honor that was evidently deemed worthy enough to be proudly mentioned by her grandson even a century later. Isaac II Komnenos appointed his cousin Konstantinos, born in circa 1173, as commander of the Byzantine fleet and governor of Philippopolis in the war against the Bulgarian Uprising of Asen and Peter. The young general succeeded in winning some battles against Tsar Theodor-Peter, but when he declared himself emperor in 1193 against the advice of his entourage, he was betrayed by his own followers and handed over to his imperial cousin, who had him blinded.
Click for more Seal images of Byzantine.