As (Coin) Portraying Emperor Licinius
308-310
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Diam.: 2.4 cm (1 in.)
Classification
coin
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
141509
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The front (obverse) of this coin portrays a laureate head of Emperor Licinius, facing right. On the back (reverse), Genius stands, facing left, holding a patera (dish) in her right hand and a cornucopiae in her left. She wears a modius (hat). Licinius I was emperor from 308-324.
About the Artist
Ancient Roman
The artists attributed to "Ancient Roman" in museum collections represent the anonymous craftsmen who produced the vast output of sculpture, frescoes, mosaics, and reliefs defining Roman visual culture from the Republic (c. 509–27 BCE) to the late Empire (c. 395 CE). Individual identities remain elusive, as Roman makers were typically viewed as skilled tradesmen—often enslaved Greeks or provincial...