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Image for Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina
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Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina Thumbnail
Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina Thumbnail
Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina Thumbnail
Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina Thumbnail
Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina Thumbnail
Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina Thumbnail
Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina Thumbnail
Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina Thumbnail

Belt Section with Medallions of Constantius II and Faustina

Byzantine (Artist)
late 4th century (Late Antique)
openwork gold with semiprecious stones
(Byzantium and Early Russia, Jewelry, )

Imperial medallions, such as this one of Constantius II (reigned 350-361), were often mounted by their recipients to boast of their highly favored status in society. This stunning example, minted in Nicomedia (Asia Minor), represents on the reverse the triumphant emperor in his chariot. Smaller coins were also mounted as jewelry, like the smaller aureus honoring Faustina the Elder (died 140/141), wife of Antoninus Pius. Other mounted coins, separated by lengths of chain, would have completed this section of either a belt or a necklace.

Inscription

[Transcription] Inscribed on small medallion of Faustina I, obverse of coin: DIVA FAVSTINA; [Translation] The Deified Faustina; [Transcription] Inscribed on reverse of coin: AVGVSTA; [Translation] Augusta (empress); [Transcription] Inscribed on large medallion of Constantius II, obverse of coin: D(ominus) N(oster) CONSTANTIVS MAX(imus) AVGVSTVS; [Translation] Our Lord Constantius Great, emperor; [Transcription] Inscribed on large medallion of Constantius II, reverse of coin: D(ominus) N(oster) CONSTANTIVS P(ius) F(elix) AVGVSTVS; [Translation] Our dutiful and blessed lord Constantius, emperor

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

Henry Walters, Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Exhibitions

2019-2021 Excursions through the Collection: Portraiture, Adornment, and the Natural World.
2016 Waste Not: The Art of Medieval Recycling.
2010 Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry. El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso.
2006-2009 Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
1993-1994 Coins and Costume in Late Antiquity. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington.
1983-1984 Late Antiquity and Early Christianity. Staedtische Galerie Liebieghaus, Frankfurt am Main.
1979-1980 Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
1947 Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore.

Conservation

Date Description Narrative
6/22/1979 Examination examined for condition
9/19/1979 Examination examined for condition
10/28/1983 Treatment cleaned; examined for loan
4/11/1984 Treatment cleaned
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Geographies

Turkey (Nicomedia) (Place of Origin)

Measurements

Overall H: 6 x W: 7 5/8 in. (15.2 x 19.4 cm); Constantine Medallion Diam: 3 3/16 x D: 5/16 in. (8.1 x 0.8 cm); Faustina Medallion H: 1 3/8 x D: 1/4 in. (3.5 x 0.7 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired by Henry Walters, 1931

Location in Museum

Centre Street: Third Floor: Early Byzantine Art

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

57.527

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Hours

  • Wednesday—Sunday: 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
  • Thursday: 1–8 p.m.
  • Monday—Tuesday: Closed

Location

600 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD
21201

Phone

410-547-9000

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