Coin Portraying Empress Salonina
264-265
Medium
Billon
Dimensions
Diam.: 2.2 cm (7/8 in.)
Classification
coin
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
101116
Art Historical Context
This small billon coin, struck around 264-265 CE during the turbulent Crisis of the Third Century, features a portrait of Empress Julia Cornelia Salonina, wife of Emperor Gallienus Measuring just 2.2 cm in diameter, it Roman imperial coinage from the Art Institute of Chicago's collection of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine. Salonina's elegant profile, likely on the obverse, reflects the refined portraiture style honed over centuries, with intricate engraving capturing her diademed hair and regal features to symbolize imperial authority and continuity. Billon, a debased alloy of silver and base met...
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...