The Marriage Certificate of the Empress Theophano

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his luxurious Dowry Certificate documents the splendid highlight in the history of East-West relations in the 10th century: the ceremonial wedding of the Greek princess Theophano (950-991), daughter of Romanus II and niece of the Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimisces, and the heir to the Saxon throne and Roman co-Emperor Otto II. The marriage was concluded by Pope John X111 on 14th April 972 AD in St Peter's in Rome.

The text is written in luminous gold script on a lavishly decorated ground, on sumptuous indigo and purple medallions, framed with a finely decorated gold bar. In addition to their ornamental function, the picture elements are mysterious symbols. Eight pairs of animals are grouped within eight pairs of superposed circles surrounded with red pearls. Both Western and Byzantine art, Western and Eastern courtly traditions fuse into one splendid masterpiece that is truly steeped in history. The only surviving witness to this important document, which was probably given to the bride during the wedding ceremony, is today kept in the Lower Saxon State Archive in Wolfenbiittel, Germany.

Complete facsimile edition in colour of the Dowry Certificate 6 Urk 11 reproduced with real gold. Format: 145 x 45cm

Limited edition: 850 copies worldwide. The German introduction by Dieter Matthes includes a transcript and a German translation of the text. The facsimile is delivered in a transport safe acrylic frame.

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