Most seals that survive belonged to people with some link to imperial service, the court, or the church. A far smaller number belonged to what we might term private individuals with occupations ranging from butchers to bathhouse attendants. These represent the vast numbers of lost wax seals that once existed and demonstrate how certain fashions and styles permeated Byzantine society.
Basil worked as a fuller, preparing wool for use in the textile trade. His seal depicts a bird walking to the right with a ribbon around its neck and a flower in its mouth. Designs like this were popular on textiles in Basil’s time and it is likely that he chose this design to align with his profession. The jewel-like decoration on the bird’s wing shows that this design was influenced by textiles entering Byzantium from the Islamic world.
Image Source
- Seal of Basil, fuller (anagnapharios) (tenth century, first half). BZS.1958.106.2677
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