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Aureus (Coin) Portraying Empress Faustina the Younger

A work made of gold.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of gold.

Date:

161-175, issued by Marcus Aurelius

Artist:

Roman, minted in Rome

About this artwork

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays a bust of Empress Faustina the Younger right, bareheaded, and draped. The back (reverse) depicts the goddess Juno (or Faustina) standing left between two children; extending right arm over a child and cradling an infant in left.

Antoninus Pius, living up to his name, portrays himself practicing religious rites by making a sacrifice to the gods. His daughter the empress Faustina the Younger, was paired with an image of Juno who, as the wife of Jupiter, symbolized marriage and family and acted as the divine protector of children. Rome encouraged large families to populate its provinces and fill the army’s ranks. Faustina was the wife of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and mother of his thirteen children.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Aureus (Coin) Portraying Empress Faustina the Younger

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.

Struck 161 CE–175 CE

Medium

Gold

Inscriptions

Obverse: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA Reverse: IVNONI LVCINAE

Dimensions

Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

Reference Number

1922.4877

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/5648/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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