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Antoninianus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Balbinus

A work made of silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver.

Date:

238 (April-June), issued by Balbinus and Pupienus

Artist:

Roman, minted in Rome

About this artwork

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays a bust of Emperor Balbinus facing right, with a radiate crown and wearing a cuirass and paludamentum. The back (reverse) depicts two hands clasped.

Since few citizens actually saw their sovereign, recognizable symbols such as crowns, robes, and regalia served to identify the ruler on coinage. The ray-like crown depicted on Balbinus’s head associated the emperor with the sun much like a halo indicates a holy being.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Antoninianus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Balbinus

Place

Rome (Minted in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

238 CE

Medium

Silver

Inscriptions

Obverse: IMP CAES D CAEL BALBINVS AVG "Imperator Caesar Decimus Caelius Balbinus Augustus" Reverse: PIETAS MVTVA AVGG "Mutual Piety of the Augusti"

Dimensions

Diam.: 2.2 cm (7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

Reference Number

1922.4894

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/5700/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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