Histamenon of Romanus III (1028–34): Art, History and Details

Histamenon of Romanus III (1028–34) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Romanus III Argyrus (968–April 11, 1034) was Byzantine emperor from November 15, 1028, until his death. He was husband of Zoe, the daughter of Constantine VII, the man Romanus was to succeed as emperor three days after wedding the daughter. He appears to have thought a lot of himself and his abilities, but in fact was inept, corrupt, and self-absorbed. His government was filled with corruption and mismanagement. He made the mistake of ignoring his wife Zoe and limiting her expenses in an effort to reduce expenditures. This would prove fatal to him as he was either poisoned or drowned (accounts differ) by the hand or order of his wife.

Object facts

• Title: Histamenon of Romanus III
• Date: 1028–34
• Culture: Byzantium
• Type: Coins
• Technique: gold
• Dimensions: Diameter: 2.4 cm (15/16 in.)
• Collection: MED - Byzantine
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 2011.213

A detail from the museum

On one side is a seated figure of Christ enthroned, on the other the Virgin is shown touching the head of emperor Romanus III.

Collection credit

Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.