Daniel in the Lions’ Den

Sale: Triton XI, Lot: 1212. Estimate $5000.  Closing Date: Monday, 7 January 2008.  Sold For $8000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Liberos. Sebastos and krites, 13th-14th century. PB Seal (37mm, 46.89 g, 1h). O/PR/OFI/TH/C (PR ligate) down left field; D/A/NI/HL down right field; Daniel standing facing, orans, flanked by attacking lions at feet / KRITHC D[A]/NIHL KAI G[R]/AF[wN] NVN P/ROCTATHC TELEH/ CEBACT(OY) LIBER(OY)/ PRAXEIC K RI/NwN (Ns retrograde, second and third ligate; TH ligate) in seven lines. BLS I -; DOCBS -; Seyrig -; Vatican 130; Orghidan 312 bis; Jordanov -. Near EF, warm grey-brown patina, minor deposits. Exceptional.

From the Robert E. Hecht Collection.

The majority of Byzantine seals featuring religious imagery represent Christ, the Theotokos, or various saints. Less frequently, they illustrate a biblical narrative scene, such as this seal depicting the Old Testament Prophet Daniel in the lion’s den. While it shows a story rarely represented on seals, it incorporates an iconographical type that dates back to the art of Early Christians.