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Coin Portraying Emperor Maxentius

A work made of bronze.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of bronze.

Date:

306-312

Artist:

Roman

About this artwork

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the emperor Maxentius facing right and wearing a crown of laurels.

On the back (reverse), the twins Castor and Pollux are shown standing, each holding scepter and with a horse behind them.

One of the earliest and most popular themes on Roman coinage was the Dioscuri, or Castor and Pollux, hero twins who are usually shown with two stars placed above their heads to denote their celestial influence. They give form to a dual myth, representing youth and courage. Castor and Pollux were the sons of the god Jupiter and a mortal woman named Leda, and the story of their birth from an egg explains the peculiar cap which they always wear, evidently representin half of an egg shell.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Coin Portraying Emperor Maxentius

Place

Roman Empire (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.

306 CE–312 CE

Medium

Bronze

Inscriptions

Obverse: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG Reverse: AETERNITAS AVG N MOSTA

Dimensions

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

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze

Reference Number

1923.1363

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/10240/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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