Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Solidus of Constantine I
Obverse: Head of Constantine, diademed, right; beaded border. Reverse: Victory, draped, seated on a pile of arms and a shield, right, inscribing a shield also supported by a nude male figure (probably a genius).
This medallion of Constantine the Great (ruled 306-337) was struck at the mint of Nicomedia (now Izmit, Turkey) for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of his rule. The Latin inscription on the reverse refers to him by name: "Victorious Constantine, Augustus." Anniversaries were often marked by the issue of medallions that served as gifts from the emperor to state officials, military leaders, and others in his favor.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Edward Gans, New York, [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1946, by purchase.
Geographies
Turkey, Izmit (Nicomedia) (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Max diam: 13/16 in. (2 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1946
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
59.690