Seal of Amalric, patriarch of Jerusalem
Type:
Seals
Date:
1158–80
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Israel
Medium:
Lead
Dimensions:
4.2 cm
Description:
The front of this lead seal says, in Latin, "+Amalricus Sanctae Resurrectionis Ecclesiae Patriarcha" (Amalric, patriarch of the church of the Holy Resurrection). The seal thus belonged to the ninth patriarch of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, Amalric, who held that position at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from 1158 until his death in 1180. Four such seals are known, all produced from the same matrix. The French-born cleric attempted to improve relations with the Byzantine world by using Greek on the other side of his seal. Labeled "The Anastasis," it shows the Byzantine resurrection scene: the large figure of Christ (holding a two-bar cross) descends into the Underworld to lift up worthy individuals from pre-Christian sacred history, including Adam (kneeling) and Eve at the left and kings David and Solomon on the right. The scene was appropriate for the cleric in charge of the Holy Sepulcher, which included the fourth-century Anastasis Rotunda. Amalric's seal echoes representations of the Resurrection in Byzantine art of all media, but the most likely model was a Byzantine seal attached to a document in the patriarchal archives.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
7,
8
Repository and Online Resources:
Dumbarton Oaks
Image Credits:
Dumbarton Oaks (used by permission)
