Watch List notes:

BYZANTINE SEALS, Administration of the Imperial Palace. Michael Grispos, patrikios, praipositos, vestes epi tou koitonos & epi tou vestiariou, Circa 1025-1050. Seal or Bulla (Lead, 32 mm, 18.73 g, 12 h), Constantinople. ΘKE BΘ/ TΩ CΩ ΔOY/ΛΩ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ/ ΠΑΤΡΙΚΙΩ/ ΠΡΑΙΠΟCΙ/Τ, ΒΕCTH /-•- (Lord aid your servant Michael patrikios, praipositos, vestes) in seven lines within plain dotted border. Rev. -•-/ EΠI TOY/ ΘΕΟΦΥΛΑ/KTOY KOITΩ/NOC S BECT/APIOY TΩ/ ΓPΙCΠΩ/-•- (epi tou the guarded by God, koitonos and [epi tou] vestiariou, the Grispos) in eight lines within plain dotted border. Šandrovskaja - Seibt 108, 13. Speck, Berlin, 172. Weiser, Bleisiegel p. 552. An important seal of a high imperial officer. Flan faults on the reverse. Very fine.


The owner of this seal held a series of impressive titles and was a high rank eunuch in the Imperial palace of Constantinople, in charge of the palace ceremonies, the imperial bedchambers, as well as the state treasury. He certainly held a very prestigious post.