Solidus (Coin) of Emperor Theodosius I (383 (25 August)-388 (28 August)): Artwork and History

Solidus (Coin) of Emperor Theodosius I (383 (25 August)-388 (28 August)) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Byzantine; minted in Constantinople (now Istanbul).

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

The front of this coin portrays the Emperor Theodosius I facing right. On the back the personification of Rome sits with her foot on the prow of a vessel, holding a spear and a shield which bears an as yet untranslated inscription.

Object facts

• Title: Solidus (Coin) of Emperor Theodosius I
• Date: 383 (25 August)-388 (28 August)
• Artist attribution: Byzantine; minted in Constantinople (now Istanbul)
• Place of origin: Istanbul
• Medium: Gold
• Dimensions: Diam.: 2.1 cm (7/8 in.)
• Type: Coin
• Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
• Reference number: 1922.4904

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.