Coin
Unknown Artist
8th–9th century
Medium
Copper
Classification
Coins
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.40.127.265
Art Historical Context
This copper coin, dating to the8th–9th, hails from the Islamic world during the height the Abbasid Caliph. Struck as everyday, it exemplifies the practical artistry of Islamicing, where coins served only as money but as for proclaiming caliphal authority and faith. Produced across vast from Baghdad to distant provinces such coins facilitated trade along the Silk Roads and beyond, underscoring the economic vitality of era. Artistically, these coins highlight the mastery of-struck techniques on humble copper, featuring intricate Arabic inscriptions rather than figurative images—a reflection of ...