Solidus (Coin) of Constantine V and Leo IV

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

751-775 (reigned 741–775)

Byzantine, minted in Constantinople

The purpose of the first portrait coins was to identify the ruler. The front side became a mirror of the sovereign’s self-image. The back was often used to communicate the ruler’s accomplishments or intentions. The profile portrait was used because it suited the very shallow depth and limited surface of the coin. The tiny images were carved by engravers into bronze dies, one for the front and another for the back. The coins were then struck, one by one, in a process similar to how modern coins are created today.

Portraits with Royal Regalia
Since few citizens actually saw their sovereign, recognizable symbols such as crowns, robes, and regalia served to identify the ruler. This image of an emperor can no longer be thought of as a likeness of the man, but instead a portrait of kingship in the regalia of royalty.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Artist: Byzantine
Title: Solidus (Coin) of Constantine V and Leo IV
Place: Byzantine 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.: Struck 751 CE–775 CE
Medium: Gold
Inscriptions: Obverse: C LE ONPAMUL Reverse: CONS....
Dimensions: Diam.: 1.9 cm (3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne
Reference Number: 1940.21
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/36648/manifest.json

Karen B. Alexander. “From Plaster to Stone: Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago.” in Recasting the Past: Collecting and Presenting Antiquities at the Art Institute of Chicago, by Karen Manchester, (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2012), p. 29.

Emily Crane Chadbourne (1871- 1964), Paris, London, and Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1940.

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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.

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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.

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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.