Coin Portraying Empress Salonina
266-267
Medium
Billon
Dimensions
Diam.: 2.3 cm (15/16 in.)
Classification
coin
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
101123
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the empress Salonina, facing right and crowned with a diadem. On the back (reverse) Elpis, the goddess of hope, walks left holding a flower and raising the hem of her robe. A palm branch and a partial inscription are seen in the field behind her. Salonina was married to the Roman emperor Gallienus, who reigned jointly with his father, Valerian, from 253-260, then as sole emperor to 268. The date this coin was struck is indicated in the reverse inscript...
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...