Solidus of Justinian II with Bust of Christ (obverse)
Unknown Artist
705
Medium
gold
Dimensions
diam. 2 cm
Classification
Coins
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski
Accession Number
2012.47.a
About this artwork
The vast number of surviving Byzantine coins attests to the level of trade across the empire. Controlled and supervised by the emperor, the producers of coins took care to represent his authority and reflect his stature. Talented artists were recruited to engrave the dies (molds) used for the striking of coins. Emperors increasingly came to include their heirs and co-emperors on their coinage, as well as other family members or even earlier rulers. Coins were recognized, then as now, as small, p...