Μολυβδόβουλλα με απεικόνιση σκηνής από το βίο του Αγίου Δημητρίου
Part of : Δελτίον της Χριστιανικής Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας ; Vol.41, 2002, pages 149-154
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149-154
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Lead Seals Representing a Scene from the Life of St Demetrius
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Articles
Abstract:
In the last few years it has been proved that the methodical study of the iconography of lead seals enriches considerably our knowledge of painting in the Middle Byzantine period, as far as frescoes and icons are concerned. On the lead seals, which the Byzantines used to seal their letters, the engravers copied popular icons, according to the choice of their clients. Thus, over the centuries, these lead seals have become the source of evidence of icons which were unknown or little known from other sources. An interesting example is a scene from the life of St Demetrius, represented on three lead seals dated to the tenth century. Two of them belong to the Athens Numismatic Museum and the third to the Dumbarton Oaks Collection. This scene represents St Demetrius blessing St Nestor, his young Christian friend, before the latter's contest with the gladiator Lyaius. According to the wellknown legend, while Lyaius, the favourite gladiator of Emperor Galerius Maximianus, entered the arena to fight Nestor, the latter visited the imprisoned Demetrius and asked for his help. Demetrius blessed him and predicted his victory, but also his forthcoming martyrdom. Thus, Nestor invoked Christ during the fight and killed Lyaius. Maximianus, outraged at this outcome, accused Nestor of witchcraft and cut off his head. Demetrius was considered to be the cause of Lyaius' death and was therefore executed. The aforementioned scene is known from the iconography of the following monuments, all dated to a period later than that of the lead seals: a) Gilded silver casket in the Vatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, dated to the mid-twelfth century. b) Wall-painting in the Metropolis of Mystras (St Demetrius), dated after 1262. c) Miniature in the manuscript codex gr. Th. Fl, in the Bodleian Library, Oxford dated between 1322 and 1340. d) Two wall-paintings in the churches of St Demetrius at Pec and Decani in Serbia, of the mid-fourteenth century. e) A Postbyzantine icon of the sixteenth century in Mykonos depicting St Demetrius and scenes of his life. From examining these monuments we conclude that the tenth-century lead seals preserve two early representations of this particular scene from the life of St Demetrius, which are unknown from other sources. They certainly constitute significant evidence of the existence of older iconographie models of this episode. The fact that two of the three lead seals belonged to high dignitaries of Thessaloniki (kommerkiarioi) supports the idea that these seals copy a Byzantine icon located in the church of St Demetrius in that city, which seems to have been very popular in the circle of the kommerkiarioi.
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