Coin

Art Historical Context

This exquisite silver coin, minted between 819 and 1005 CE, hails from the vibrant era of the Abbasid Calate, a golden age of Islamic civilization centered in Baghdad. As a product of the Islamic collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of medieval Islamic minting, where silver dirhams served as the backbone of a vast trade network stretching from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1939, this coin offers a tangible glimpse into an empire renowned for its advances in science, poetry, and commerce. Crafted using die-...