Medieval Coins and Seals: constructing identity, signifying power

In the final section, 'Coins, seals, medieval art and material culture', James Robinson discusses the spiritual and secular power of seal images, Jesse D Hurlbut the figure of the Lamb on the city seal and altarpiece at Ghent and Janet E Snyder the clothes that appear on carved figures and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antiquaries journal 2016, Vol.96, p.463
Main Author: Harvey, P D A
Format: Review
Language:English
Subjects:
12th century
13th century
Coins
Cultural identity
Self concept
Subtitling
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Summary:In the final section, 'Coins, seals, medieval art and material culture', James Robinson discusses the spiritual and secular power of seal images, Jesse D Hurlbut the figure of the Lamb on the city seal and altarpiece at Ghent and Janet E Snyder the clothes that appear on carved figures and on seals in the twelfth century. All the same, most of the essays reflect the book's subtitle: they are looking at the designs of seals and coins with a view to bringing out the unspoken messages they conveyed; above all, statements of personal or corporate identity and statements of power over those who saw and handled them. Eleven are about seals, nine about coins; only two, by Lisa Mahoney and Erin L Jordan, discuss both, though several other authors make valuable cross-references. [...]Guido M Berndt lists fifth-century rulers portrayed on seals as well as those on coins (p 89) and Susan Solway describes the 'long tradition' of medieval seal designs copying those of Roman coins (p 426).
ISSN:0003-5815
1758-5309
DOI:10.1017/S0003581516000615