Anonymous Follis (Coin), Attributed to Theodora

Art Historical Context

This bronze Anonymous Follis, struck in 1055–1056 and attributed to the brief reign of Byzantine Empress Theodora, represents a fascinating chapter in imperial coinage. Measuring only three centimeters across, the small disk was produced during a time when the empire’s mints began issuing coins without the ruler’s portrait or name, instead favoring religious imagery. Theodora, the last sovereign of the Macedonian dynasty, ruled independently for just over a year, making this coin a tangible link to one of the rare moments when a woman held sole authority in Constantinople. As both currency an...

About the Artist

Byzantine

"Byzantine" is the collective attribution given to anonymous artists working within the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, whose creations spanned from the 4th to the 15th centuries, primarily in Constantinople and its cultural sphere. These masters produced a vast body of art that defined an era, with museums like the Walters Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago cataloging numerous works un...