The seal of the great prefect Stefan Nemanja, the progenitor of the Nemanjić dynasty, was bought at an auction by the History Museum of Serbia, the museum management announced.
As stated in the announcement, the lead seal from the second half of the 12th century was purchased from the auction house “Artemide Aste” from San Marino.
Previously, the website ArcheoSerbia reported that the said seal will be auctioned at the beginning of May.
“It is a seal from the second half of the 12th century, from the time after 1166, which is made of lead. It weighs about 21 grams and has a diameter of 35 millimeters. The obverse shows a standing figure of Saint Stephen holding a coffin and lamp, and next to it is an inscription in Greek, which in translation reads – Seal of Stefan, the great prefect of Nemanja”, it was stated at the time with the statement that this hitherto unknown seal represents a significant discovery, considering that the seals of our medieval rulers are very rare.
It was also noted that a similar seal of Nemanja is in the collection of the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade.
The History Museum of Serbia immediately joined the auction for the purchase of the seal, and the Ministry of Culture called on other cultural institutions not to make bids so as not to raise the price for each other.
The initial price of this rare gem, published on the website of the auction house “Artemide Aste”, was 1,200 euros.