Coin of Constantine I

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.

Inscription

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Mrs. Richard Pleasants, Baltimore, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1945, by gift.