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Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Antoninus Pius

A work made of gold.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of gold.

Date:

138-161

Artist:

Roman

About this artwork

On the front of this coin the Emperor Antoninus Pius, living up to his name, portrays himself practicing religious rites by making a sacrifice to the gods. On the back his daughter, the empress Faustina the Younger, is 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.

The inscription on the back of this coin translates to “Antoninus Pius ruled between 138-161 A.D.”

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Artist

Ancient Roman

Title

Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Antoninus Pius

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.

138 CE–161 CE

Medium

Gold

Inscriptions

Obverse: IMP T AEL CAES HADRI ANTONINVS Reverse: AVG PIVS P M TR P COS DES II

Dimensions

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

Credit Line

Gift of William F. Dunham

Reference Number

1922.4253

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/95976/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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