Coin Portraying Emperor Otho (69): Artwork and History

Coin Portraying Emperor Otho (69) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Roman.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

The front of this coin portrays the emperor Otho, facing right. On the back, Otho is shown making offerings at an altar. Roman emperor Nero killed himself in 68, bringing an end to his chaotic reign. What followed was an equally chaotic struggle over who would succeed him. The year 69 saw one general after another rule and die in quick succession: Galba (reigned June 68–Jan. 69), Otho (reigned Jan.–Apr. 69), Vitellius (reigned Apr.–Dec. 69), and finally Vespasian (reigned 69–79), who founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled until 96. The harsh character of these four emperors is emphasized by the realistic features of their coin portraits—the hooked nose of Galba, the double chin and vain curls of Otho (seen in this coin), the plump features of the gluttonous Vitellius, and the lined complexion of battle-hardened Vespasian.

Object facts

• Title: Coin Portraying Emperor Otho
• Date: 69
• Artist attribution: Roman
• Place of origin: Roman Empire
• Medium: Bronze
• Dimensions: Diam.: 3.3 cm (1 5/16 in.)
• Type: Coin
• Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
• Reference number: 1923.1306

Collection credit

Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze

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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.