Stater (Coin) Portraying Mithrapata
380-375 BCE
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Diam.: 2.7 cm (1 1/8 in.)
Classification
coin
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
196262
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This coin originated in Lycia, an independent country that belonged to the Greek Empire, in a district that is now southwestern Turkey. This coin displays one of the earliest known examples of a human profile on coinage. The image portrays the dynast Mithrapata, whose facial features are strongly depicted, with a flat nose, high cheekbones, a thick neck, a beard, and short curly hair. The profile is set within an incuse square that also contains the Lycian insription "MITHRIPATI."
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...