★ St. Philip the Apostle and St. Agapios ★

Anonymous, 11th century. Seal (Lead, 20 mm, 5.40 g, 12 h). Θ / ΦI/Λ,-Π/OC Nimbate facing bust of Saint Philippos, raising his right hand in benediction and holding scroll in his left hand. Rev. Θ / A/ΓA-Π/I/OC Nimbate facing bust of Saint Agapios, wearing bishop's robes, raising his right in benediction and holding a book of Gospels in his left. Seibt/Zarnitz 5.3.11 (from a different boulleterion, but likely the same types). An attractive iconographical seal type showing a very rare saint on the obverse and a likely unique (on seals) saint on the reverse. Very fine.

In the West, St. Philip the Apostle is usually portrayed as an old man with a long beard, but the eastern church preferred to depict him as a young man, as he appears on our seal: beardless, with a full head of hair. The saint on the reverse of our seal is identified in the legend as Saint Agapios. Although there were several saints with this personal name, the bishop's robes he is wearing suggest he must be Saint Agapius, bishop of Caesarea from 303 to circa 312, the predecessor of Eusebius. Apparently, this seal type is the only one known to bear his image.