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Source Description

Obverse: Head of Constantine, laureate, right; beaded border. Reverse: Jupiter, standing frontal, nude except for a cloak, holding staff in the left hand, Victory in the right; Victory, standing, draped, crowning Jupiter with a wreath; to the lower left, an eagle facing left, head turned back right, holding wreath in its beak; in the field to right, A (officina mark); beaded border. That this coin was issued by Licinius, and not Constantine even though he is depicted on the obverse, is clear from the mint, but the style of the obverse is also unmistakable. While Constantine was, at the same time, developing his own classicizing style of numismatic depiction, Licinius was presenting himself as the true successor to Diocletian’s Tetrarchy and as such employs an exaggerated version of the Tetrarchic bust type with its massive neck, square face, and short-cropped hair.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
2167
label
Coin of Constantine I
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
2167
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Coin of Constantine I
description
Obverse: Head of Constantine, laureate, right; beaded border. Reverse: Jupiter, standing frontal, nude except for a cloak, holding staff in the left hand, Victory in the right; Victory, standing, draped, crowning Jupiter with a wreath; to the lower left, an eagle facing left, head turned back right, holding wreath in its beak; in the field to right, A (officina mark); beaded border. That this coin was issued by Licinius, and not Constantine even though he is depicted on the obverse, is clear from the mint, but the style of the obverse is also unmistakable. While Constantine was, at the same time, developing his own classicizing style of numismatic depiction, Licinius was presenting himself as the true successor to Diocletian’s Tetrarchy and as such employs an exaggerated version of the Tetrarchic bust type with its massive neck, square face, and short-cropped hair.
provenance
Mrs. Richard Pleasants, Baltimore, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1945, by gift.
date
313-317 CE (Late Antique)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
coins
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Max diam: 7/8 in. (2.2 cm); axis: 6:00
Source extras
cul
Roman
inscriptions
[Inscription
Latin; obverse] IMP(erator) C(aius) FL(avius) VAL(erius) CONSTANTINVS P(ius) F(elix) AVG(ustus) [Translation] Imperator Gaius Flavius Valerius Constantine
pious
lucky
Augustus [Inscription
Latin; reverse] IOVI CONSERVATORI; in exergue
S(acra) M(oneta) N(icomediae) [Translation] To Jupiter the Protector; the sacred mint of Nicomedia
first mint office
med
bronze; struck
creator_ids
6191
collection_ids
ROM
NUM
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
9bc2dd294cd6c2fb
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
d617602e04a34b82
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no