★ An impressive large and rare seal of high historical importance ★

Byzantine lead seal of Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinopolis Michael Keroularios (1043–1054).

Obverse: Mother of God Hodegetria standing facing on rectangular dais,nimbate, wearing chiton and maphorion, holding Christ Child in her left hand,sigla MHP-[ΘV] (Mother of God) across field, circular inscription, + ΘKEROHΘE[I] -[TΩ CΩ ΔOVΛΩ] (Mother of God, help your servant), all withindotted border.
Reverse: Inscription in 6 lines, – + –/[M]IXAHΛ/[AP]XIEΠI/[CK,][K]ΩNCTAN/[TIN]OVΠOΛ,/ [NE]ACPΩ/–M– = + ΜιχαὴλἀρχιεπισκόπῳΚωνσταντινουπόλεωςΝέας Ῥώμης (Michael archbishop of ConstantinopolisNew Rome), αll within dotted border. Commentary: Following the death of Patriarch

Alexios Stoudites,Emperor Constantine IX (1042–55) selected as his successor MichaelKeroularios, who reigned from 25 March 1043 to 2 November 1058. At thetime of his appointment he was a monk, a profession that he elected in thewake of his complicity in a conspiracy against Emperor Michael IV (1034–41).His reign is memorable for strife with the papacy and the events of 16 July1054, when Michael and the papal legate Humbert hurled excommunications ateach other. After this event Michael added to his title the phrase οἰκουμενικὸςπατριάρχης. Keroularios was effectively in charge of the administration duringthe short reign of Michael VI (1056–57). Following Emperor Michael’sabdication on 30 August 1057, Michael crowned his successor, Isaakios IKomnenos, on 1 September 1057. According to theContinuation of theChronicle of John Skylitzes,Isaakios “revered him,” and out of respect forMichael granted prominent positions to his nephews (Skylitzes Cont., 103).After an initial period of mutual goodwill, the patriarch, according to theContinuator, became arrogant toward the emperor and “went as far as to wearsandals dyed purple” (Skylitzes Cont., 105; English translation:Dagron,Emperor, 237). Isaakios, who had the support of the army, eventuallyacted against him. When Keroularios left the city to celebrate the Feast of theArchangels, Isaakios ordered the Varangian guard to arrest him along with hisnephew and confine them on the island of Prokonnesos. Keroularios resistedforced deposition, but he soon died and was replaced by the proedros andprotovestiarios Constantine Leichoudes (Skylitzes Cont., 105;ODB2:1361).The Keroularios family enjoyed imperial favor long after Michael’s demise.We note that a Constantine Keroularios was protoproedros and droungarios ofthe Watch in 1074 (Kühn,Armee, 111; by this date Constantine was a civilofficial: see Laurent,Corpus2: no. 891). At some point in the period 1050–70a nephew of Michael Keroularios, by name Nikephoros, held the titles ofproedros and general logothete. See now Seibt–Wassiliou,Bleisiegel2: no. 54.The reconstruction of the obverse and reverse, depends on theinscriptions found on three similar seals published in Zacos,Seals2: no. 15a–c(Type A). Spink I, no. 17 (= Zacos,Seals2: no. 15c) erroneously refers to the2
present example, from the Shaw Collection, as being from the Fogg Collection.The author, J.-C. Cheynet, notes the existence of a similar specimen in theMuseum of Yalvaç (Pisidia), which is now published in Cheynet, “La Pisidie,”p. 454 and pl. 2. For another parallel seal see CNG auction 106, lot No. 894.After 1054, there appears a second type of seal. St. Michael is depictedon the obverse standing and holding a labarum in his right hand and a globuscruciger in his left. On the reverse is an inscription of six lines reading ΜιχαὴλἀρχιεπίσκοποςΚωνσταντινουπόλεωςΝέαςῬώμηςκαὶοἰκουμενικὸςπατριάρχης (Seyrig, no. 225; Zacos,Seals2: no. 15d; Laurent,Corpus5.1: no.16; and Likhachev,Molivdovuly, LXV.13). Zacos illustrates the example fromthe Seyrig Collection, while Laurent chose a specimen from the collection ofthe American Numismatic Society (Newell, no. 19).

Condition: Very Fine

Weight: 49.8 gr
Diameter: 41 mm