JeandAcre Posted March 23, 2023 · Member Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) Archbishopric of Magdeburg, temp. Heinrich III as Emperor, 1046-1056. AR denar, 22 mm. (An unusually broad flan for the milieu; on the high side even in comparison to English pennies.) Two benign striking cracks; understandable, given the flan. Obv. Crowned profile right; presumably Heinrich. +[S]C[S] MAVRCIVS (’S’ retrograde). (Maurice, the patron saint of Magdeburg.) Rev. Gate between two towers; higher tower behind the gate. Circuit of the entire city wall schematically indicated by diagonals to either side of the towers, and a ring around and above the rest of the motif. (From 12 o’clock, but entirely retrograde:) +MAGA[TH]EB[V]R[G]. Dannenburg 648 (the initial type, vs. variants); Kluge, Salier 428 (ironically enough, a variant). The wall circuit, simplified as it is, evokes illustrations in two famous medieval manuscripts. A similar visual sensibility, verging on linear perspective (and drawing from late Roman precedent), is seen in the Utrecht Psalter, from the Carolingian Renaissance (c. early or mid-9th c.), and its Anglo-Saxon copy, the Harley Psalter (early 11th c.). In both manuscripts, the first instance is found on Folio 5 recto, above the beginning of Psalm 9. Starting with the earlier one: http://psalter.library.uu.nl/page?p=16&res=2&x=0&y=1 32249bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=harley_ms_603_fs001r ...People are cordially welcome to riff on this any way you'd care to. Edited March 23, 2023 by JeandAcre 8 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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