Byzantine, minted in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey)
Solidus (Coin) of Basil I with Christ Enthroned
INV-3665
Byzantine, minted in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey)868–870
Solidus (Coin) of Basil I with Christ Enthroned
Byzantine, minted in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) →byzantineeuropeanancientcoinancient art
Date
868–870
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne
The imagery of Byzantine coins, as well as their use—or not—of religious imagery, reflects the different attitudes toward representation of divine figures as a result of the Iconoclastic (from the Greek eikon, or image, and klao, to break) Controversy, a fierce debate among Byzantine theologians over the appropriate role of images in religious worship that raged in Byzantium for over 100 years from about 730 to 843.
In a radical departure from the numismatic imagery of iconoclast emperors, the coin of Basil I (reigned 867-886) has an image of Christ Enthroned on its front, along with an inscription proclaiming the heavenly ruler “King of Kings.”
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