Martir quod Stillat Primatis ab Ore Sigillat: Sealed with the Blood of Becket

Abstract

This article provides an analysis of the images on the seals used by the archbishops of Canterbury which portrayed the martyrdom of Thomas Becket. The discussion will proceed on several levels. First, although the image of the murder appears on all of them, there is great variety in the iconographical detail to be explored and compared with contemporaneous manuscript illuminations and reliquaries. Secondly, the accounts which furnished the material for the images differ widely; an investigation of the descriptions of the martyrdom given in the Lives of Becket written by his close associates, as well as contemporaneous sermons and liturgical celebrations, demonstrate a variety of influences on the iconography. Finally, an examination of the seals within the various political contexts will illuminate unexplored aspects of historical detail concerning the legend of the Canterbury martyr.

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