ABSTRACT
In such a dramatic and pejorative tone, the sebastokrator Isaac Komnenos (1093c.1152) – third-born son of Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118), brother of John II Komnenos (1118-1143) and father of Andronikos I Komnenos (1183-1185)2 – addresses an image of the Virgin and Child in the closing verses of an epigram he most probably composed himself while in exile as an appeal for salvation.3 A purple-born prince, infamous for his persistent imperial aspirations and his conspiracies against his eldest brother John II and his nephew Manuel I (1143-1180),4 Isaac was highly admired and praised by his contemporaries for his intellect and sophistication,5 and is duly appreciated by modern scholars for his patronage of the
arts.6 Yet he remains one of the most controversial and intriguing personalities of the first half of the twelfth century.
