Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Aurelian (272, issued by Aurelian): Artwork and History

Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Aurelian (272, issued by Aurelian) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Roman, possibly minted in Siscia.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

On the front (obverse) of this coin is a portrait of Roman Emperor Aurelian facing to the right. He is laureate, cuirassed, and has an aegis over his left shoulder. On the back (reverse) is a rearing lion rears facing left, radiate, and carrying a thunderbolt in his mouth. Portraits of important people appear on local currency all around the world. The same was true in ancient Rome, which began producing its first coinage in the late 4th century BC. Early coins depicted the heads of gods and goddesses on the front side, often in profile, while the back depicted animals, natural resources, symbols, and references to historical events. It was not until 44 BCE that the portrait of a living person—Julius Caesar— appeared on coins. Thereafter, profile portraits of rulers or other members of the imperial family became the standard subject on coins throughout the Roman Empire. Inscriptions on coins help identify the ruler. While the front side depicted the sovereign’s portrait, the back was often used to communicate the ruler’s accomplishments or aspirations. Until Late Antiquity, portraits usually appeared in profile. The tiny images were carved by engravers into bronze dies, with one for the front and another for the back. The coins were then struck, one by one, in a process similar to how coins are created today.

Object facts

• Title: Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Aurelian
• Date: 272, issued by Aurelian
• Artist attribution: Roman, possibly minted in Siscia
• Place of origin: Rome
• Medium: Gold
• Dimensions: Diam.: 2.1 cm (7/8 in.)
• Type: Coin
• Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
• Reference number: 1922.4899

Collection credit

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.