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The Pinnacle of Roman Coin Portraiture


David Atherton

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@David Atherton, I love that Vespasian portrait. I have no Vespasian bronzes, and this coin is obviously on a much smaller flan, but it's still by far my favorite among my own small number of Vespasian portraits:

image.jpeg.40e6944a76db0a999b4d0ed6968d19cc.jpeg

I've always liked this Titus portrait, perhaps because it resembles his father so much:

image.jpeg.1ed5be3762a19fde5beab70df1bbce68.jpeg

Galbas's portraits may not be generally considered on the same level as the Flavians, but I'm impressed with this one:

image.jpeg.e2bbb7f486a63352f66c7b346d80df83.jpeg

Going back in time, here's my Tiberius denarius:

image.jpeg.385bb73fc49a2eb17c131f1fe7573a41.jpeg

My favorite Trajan portrait:

image.jpeg.b7e62fdebbae657b8b429a92625f14e8.jpeg

I can't decide on a Hadrian or Marcus Aurelius, but here are Pupienus and Balbinus:

image.jpeg.70b8683026f68f7e17ac3eea572b73f0.jpeg

image.jpeg.130ee2973a51a4c6daa71f9661719681.jpeg

Finally, even though I just posted this yesterday in another thread, and I have no idea how much he actually looked like this,  there's something about this portrait of Maximinus Thrax on a sestertius that seems very real:

image.jpeg.b7414494267de27891fa623520b67954.jpeg

 

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At the moment, this is my only coin of Vespasian. I do think it has a nice portrait, perhaps not as realistic as those of the Rome mint, but it is certainly artistic. 

607401664_Vespasiandenariusantioch.png.b73cdd67db0a8a55d4e047ce45661bd5.png

AR Denarius (17mm, 3.39 g). Antioch mint. AD 72-73. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, Laureate head left / VICTORIA AVG, Victory standing right on globe, holding wreath and palm branch. RIC II 1547. RPC II 1921 (this coin in RPC online).                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Ex Viggo Collection of Flavian Imperial Coins from provincial mints.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Ex Dr. Martina Dieterle                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 125 (24 June 2021), lot 518.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Ex Helios Auction 4 (14 October 2009), lot 292.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Ex Gorny & Mosch (14 October 2002), lot 500.

Edited by Romancollector
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39 minutes ago, Romancollector said:

At the moment, this is my only coin of Vespasian. I do think it has a nice portrait, perhaps not as realistic as those of the Rome mint, but it is certainly artistic. 

607401664_Vespasiandenariusantioch.png.b73cdd67db0a8a55d4e047ce45661bd5.png

AR Denarius (17mm, 3.39 g). Antioch mint. AD 72-73. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, Laureate head left / VICTORIA AVG, Victory standing right on globe, holding wreath and palm branch. RIC II 1547. RPC II 1921 (this coin in RPC online).                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Ex Viggo Collection of Flavian Imperial Coins from provincial mints.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Ex Dr. Martina Dieterle                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 125 (24 June 2021), lot 518.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Ex Helios Auction 4 (14 October 2009), lot 292.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Ex Gorny & Mosch (14 October 2002), lot 500.

Antiochene denarii could be quite artistic indeed. Mine is from the same obverse die.

 

V1547a.jpg.85cb9002b43b78ae82f3c18f2d19abcd.jpg

Vespasian

AR Denarius, 3.59g
Antioch mint, 72-73 AD
Obv: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG; Head of Vespasian, laureate, l.
Rev: VICTORIA AVG; Victory stg. r., on globe, with wreath and palm
RIC 1547 (R2). BMC 498. RSC 588. RPC 1921 (2 spec.). BNC -.
Ex Nomos Obolos 7, 9 July 2017, lot 313.

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1 hour ago, Romancollector said:

At the moment, this is my only coin of Vespasian. I do think it has a nice portrait, perhaps not as realistic as those of the Rome mint, but it is certainly artistic. 

607401664_Vespasiandenariusantioch.png.b73cdd67db0a8a55d4e047ce45661bd5.png

AR Denarius (17mm, 3.39 g). Antioch mint. AD 72-73. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, Laureate head left / VICTORIA AVG, Victory standing right on globe, holding wreath and palm branch. RIC II 1547. RPC II 1921 (this coin in RPC online).                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Ex Viggo Collection of Flavian Imperial Coins from provincial mints.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Ex Dr. Martina Dieterle                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 125 (24 June 2021), lot 518.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Ex Helios Auction 4 (14 October 2009), lot 292.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Ex Gorny & Mosch (14 October 2002), lot 500.

I don't entirely disagree with you but in my opinion, the mint at Antioch consistently produced some of the best portraits and finest engravings of anywhere in the Roman World (including the Imperial mints.) Your Vespasian is a good example - lacking, perhaps, some of the realism of the Imperial portraits, but nonetheless showing a remarkable skill and style.

 

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Many fine examples of Roman portraiture pictured above. However i would humbly submit this coin

Sestertius of Galba 68 AD Obv Head left laureate Rv Concordia seated left RIC 339 26.40 grms 32 mm Photo by W. Hansen

galbas2a.jpg.c4bd90429a1accf7c21ccf28059e8a13.jpg

What I like about this portrait is how the artist manages to convey something of the strength of this individual Galba is depicted with a keen penetrating eye and a severe frown. (Though the artist does depict his rather full lips) The skin seems to be drawn taut over the skull to the point that one can see something of the underlying boney structure. This image would have been even more striking as it is the complete antithesis to the image of Nero. 

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The third century got some really nice portraiture too, here some of my favorites from my collection:

Severus Alexander Denarius with quite unusual high relief an nice portrait of the young man:

Severus_Alexander_Liberalitas-removebg-preview.png.3cccf0de03c5d9575d6df9c07d730735.png

Antiochian Tetradrachm from the reign of Emperor Phillip:

Philippus_Antioch-removebg-preview.png.2c3eb8f7e78edf00c0bc9d1e41293484.png

Here a fine female example - Empress Herennia Etruscilla

Herennia_Etruscilla_Pudicitia-removebg-preview.png.dde806c559d36ea4d9dcf0e7bb5deba7.png

Still my favorite - Military bust Antoninian from the reign of Gallienus:

Gallienus_Germanicus-removebg-preview.png.56cd8bb35d0a8d0c99a1491d227cbe07.png

And here a quite fine Postumus portrait:

Postumus_Serapis-removebg-preview.png.bd7c0f4606ee884be336418c051292ef.png

 

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45 minutes ago, CPK said:

Here are a couple more of my favorite portrait coins. Even though the quality is nowhere near that of the first century portraits, they're still nice in their own way:

How do you do it? How do you get these realistic pictures of the coins? I don't mean the background or the floating. The coins look so natural - and especially the colors are so realistic. Respect!

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