ABSTRACT
Byzantine lead seals survive in the thousands and range in date from the 6th through the 15th centuries. Many of these specimens bear religious figural images: those of Christ, the Virgin, various saints and narrative scenes depicting events from the life of Christ and of the Virgin. The sphragistic high-point of the 11th/12th century parallels the proliferation of saints’ images in other media. The seals depicting choired saints and belonging to the 6th through 8th centuries number 77 specimens, representing 73 individuals. The predominant use of Marian imagery on seals after Iconoclasm therefore continues as the legacy of the Iconophile victory as well as a practice for employing single depictions of saints on seals.
