Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Caracalla

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

204 (January-April), issued by Septimius Severus

Roman, minted in Rome

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the profile head of Emperor Caracalla facing right, laureate, and wearing a cuirass(body armor) and paludamentum (military cloak). The back (reverse) shows the deity Victory, partly draped, advancing left, and holding a wreath and palm.

This coin showing the 16 year old prince was issued by his father, Emperor Septimius Severus. The inscription details the honor (Pontifex - “priest”) and powers (Tribunitian) that the emperor had granted to his son six years earlier. The reverse image shows a winged Victory offering a wreath and palm frond to celebrate the emperor’s “Great Parthian Victory”, spelled out in the inscription.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Roman
Title: Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Caracalla
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.: 204 CE
Medium: Gold
Inscriptions: Obverse: ANTON.P.AVG PON TR P VII "Antoninus Pius Augustus, Pontif, holding Tribunican Power for Seventh Time" Reverse: VICT PART.MAX "Great Parthian Victory"
Dimensions: Diam.: 2.1 cm (7/8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Martin A. Ryerson
Reference Number: 1922.4884
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/5667/manifest.json

Theresa Gross-Diaz, “Roman Art” in Museum Studies: Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago 20, no. 1 (1994), pp. 76-77 (ill.), no. 56.
Karen B. Alexander, “From Plaster to Stone: Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago,” in Karen Manchester, Recasting the Past: Collecting and Presenting Antiquities at the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), p. 29.
Theresa Gross-Diaz, “Cat. 61 Aureus Portraying Caracalla: Curatorial Entry,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).
https://publications.artic.edu/roman/reader/romanart/section/548

Art Institute of Chicago, Ancient Art Galleries, Gallery 156, April 20, 1994 - February 6, 2012.

Martin A. Ryerson (1856-1932), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.

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.

Suggested Terms

Currently Off View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Culture

Title

Place

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.

Medium

Inscriptions

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

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.

Extended information about this artwork

Publication History

Exhibition History

Provenance

Share

Explore Further

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share

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.