AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot)
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aicbyzantine.bsky.social
AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot)
@aicbyzantine.bsky.social
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Sharing artworks from the Art Institute of Chicago's Ancient and Byzantine Art department.
Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social
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Coin Depicting a Parasol https://www.artic.edu/artworks/20292/
The front (obverse) of this coin depicts a parasol while the back (reverse) shows three shafts of grain. Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze
December 17, 2025 at 7:13 PM
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Coin Depicting a Shield https://www.artic.edu/artworks/117480/
The front (obverse) of this coin depicts a shield with a border. The back (reverse) depicts a Macedonian helmet. Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze
December 17, 2025 at 5:15 PM
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Amulet of the Goddess Hathor (?) with Cow's Head https://www.artic.edu/artworks/140701/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 17, 2025 at 10:37 AM
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Fragment of a Bowl https://www.artic.edu/artworks/67673/
In ancient Rome, there was a high demand for colorful glass that could dazzle banquet guests alongside the expensive silver and gold serving wares meant to impress. Fragments like this one would have once been a part of larger mosaic dishes. The mosaic pattern was made by sagging molten glass into bowl-shaped molds, a technique used on many of these fragments is similar to millefiori, “thousand flowers” in Italian, a modern glass-making method in which tiny rods of colored glass are bundled together, wrapped in a sheet of glass, fused, and then thinly sliced to reveal swirls of a flower-like patterns. They were arranged side by side, sometimes together with bits of colored glass, and fused together with heat. Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
December 17, 2025 at 9:36 AM
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Coin Depicting the Goddess Athena https://www.artic.edu/artworks/9867/
The front of this coin depicts the goddess Athena, facing right. On the back, the god Pan erects a trophy with two unidentified figures. Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze
December 16, 2025 at 7:25 PM
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Bottle https://www.artic.edu/artworks/61902/
Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
December 16, 2025 at 5:21 PM
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Histamenon (Coin) of Romanus III Argyrus with Christ Enthroned https://www.artic.edu/artworks/36660/
Portraits of important people appear on local currency all around the world. The same was true in ancient Rome, which began producing its first coinage in the late 4th century BC. Early coins depicted the heads of gods and goddesses on the front side, often in profile, while the back depicted animals, natural resources, symbols, and references to historical events. It was not until 44 BC that the portrait of a living person—Julius Caesar—appeared on coins. Thereafter, profile portraits of rulers or other members of the imperial family became the standard subject on coins throughout the Roman Empire. Inscriptions on coins help identify the ruler. While the front side depicted the sovereign’s portrait, the back was often used to communicate the ruler’s accomplishments or aspirations. Until Late Antiquity, portraits usually appeared in profile. The tiny images were carved by engravers into bronze dies, with one for the front and another for the back. The coins were then struck, one by one, in a process similar to how coins are created today. Coins were the ideal way for Byzantine rulers to rapidly circulate their images throughout the empire and beyond, since they were used to pay for imported merchandise and foreign mercenaries. They could also be employed as powerful vehicles for propaganda, promoting messages of dynastic legitimacy and the divinesource of the emperor’s right to rule. After Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine emperors adopted Christian themes and symbols, most notably the cross, to stand for both the religion and the political state. The previously ubiquitous profile portrait head was replaced by frontal or full-body depictions. Christ dominated the iconography, and Greek titles and phrases came to replace the Latin ones. Romanos III Argyros (reigned 1028–34) was marked for succession to the throne by his father-in-law, Constantine VIII, whose reign lasted only three years. Romanos managed a six-year reign that was riddled with ill-conceived and poorly executed policies, including a disastrous attempt to reform taxation that left the empire’s finances in disarray and drove the less fortunate into enforced servitude. In an effort to halt the growing threat posed by Arabs along the eastern frontier, Romanos personally led the army to confront them, only to be thoroughly routed in a surprise attack. Later conquests and victories did little to improve his reputation, and he died, possibly at the hands or order of his entirely disillusioned wife, Zoe. On the front of this histamenon, the enthroned and haloed Jesus holds the Gospel book in his right hand. The inscription reads “Jesus Christ, King of Kings.” On the reverse, the Virgin Mary crowns the richly bedecked Romanos, who holds a globus cruciger, indicating that the emperor wields earthly power on behalf of the Christian God. Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne
December 16, 2025 at 1:59 PM
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Quinarius (Coin) Depicting Liberty https://www.artic.edu/artworks/141637/
The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the head of Liberty, facing to the right. On the back (reverse), a winged Victory is seated and facing to the right, holding a patera (dish) and palm. Gift of William F. Dunham
December 16, 2025 at 12:20 PM
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Ring: Figure of Serpent Uto (?) Wearing Crown of Lower Egypt https://www.artic.edu/artworks/141234/
The Art Institute of Chicago
December 16, 2025 at 8:36 AM
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Fragment of Inlays Depicting a Zig-zag Pattern https://www.artic.edu/artworks/67880/
In ancient Rome, there was a high demand for colorful glass that could dazzle banquet guests alongside the expensive silver and gold serving wares meant to impress. Fragments like this one would have once been a part of larger mosaic dishes. The mosaic pattern was made by sagging molten glass into bowl-shaped molds, a technique used on many of these fragments is similar to millefiori, “thousand flowers” in Italian, a modern glass-making method in which tiny rods of colored glass are bundled together, wrapped in a sheet of glass, fused, and then thinly sliced to reveal swirls of a flower-like patterns. They were arranged side by side, sometimes together with bits of colored glass, and fused together with heat. Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
December 15, 2025 at 7:35 PM
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Sestertius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Antoninus Pius https://www.artic.edu/artworks/141711/
Gift of William F. Dunham
December 15, 2025 at 3:44 PM
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Portrait Head of a Young Woman https://www.artic.edu/artworks/11611/
This elegant portrait is the intentional likeness of a young woman in her early twenties who had a delicate brow, high cheekbones, wide-set eyes, a bow-shaped mouth, and a prominent chin. Her long tresses are arranged in an elaborate hairstyle, fashionable at different times during the imperial period, in which the hair was parted in the center, combed in waves over the forehead, and plaited into braids that were artfully wrapped around the head like a turban. Broken off at the neck, it was once part of a larger statue. Edward E. Ayer Endowment in memory of Charles L. Hutchinson
December 15, 2025 at 2:18 PM
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Sestertius (Coin) Portraying Lucilla https://www.artic.edu/artworks/141718/
Gift of William F. Dunham
December 15, 2025 at 10:59 AM
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Obol (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Athena https://www.artic.edu/artworks/9748/
The front of this coin depicts the goddess Athena, facing right. On the back, the mythical hero Herakles is shown strangling the Nemean lion. Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze
December 15, 2025 at 9:41 AM
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Vessel https://www.artic.edu/artworks/132507/
Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, Robert H. Fleming, and Norman W. Harris
December 14, 2025 at 7:00 PM
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Bracelet https://www.artic.edu/artworks/941/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
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Portrait Head of a Woman https://www.artic.edu/artworks/15606/
This woman’s name is unknown, but her portrait indicates that she was likely a member of the imperial family. She wears a tall ornamental headband, typically reserved for goddesses and imperial women. Her elaborate hairstyle, with distinct locks woven around the headband, would have required the services of a skilled hairdresser. Moreover, the use of costly marble reflects her family’s wealth, while her commemoration with a finely carved portrait indicates that she was of elevated social standing. Edward E. Ayer Endowment in memory of Charles L. Hutchinson
December 14, 2025 at 3:11 PM
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Denarius (Coin) Depicting the God Jupiter https://www.artic.edu/artworks/139848/
On the front of this coin, the god Jupiter is depicted bearded and wearing a crown of laurels. A sceptre can be seen at his lower left. On the back (reverse), a type of chariot called a quadriga is depicted with the winged goddess of victory flying above, holding a wreath in her hand. Gift of William F. Dunham
December 14, 2025 at 11:07 AM
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Hemidrachm (Coin) Depicting Bucranium https://www.artic.edu/artworks/9682/
The front of this coin depicts the head of a bull, turned downward. On the back the god Apollo faces right. Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze
December 14, 2025 at 10:14 AM
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Scarab: Menmaatra (Sety I) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/134098/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 13, 2025 at 8:01 PM
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Fragment of a Portrait Head of Antinous https://www.artic.edu/artworks/13852/
This portrait depicts Antinous (about 111–130), the young lover of Emperor Hadrian (reigned 117–38). His characteristic facial features include an oval face, smooth complexion, almond-shaped eyes, and full lips, as well as his distinctive hairstyle of thick, wavy locks radiating from the crown of his head. This sculpture is a fragment from a larger whole, and for many years it was unclear what form the original, intact work had taken. Recent scholarship indicates that it once belonged to an over-life-size bust of Antinous currently in the Palazzo Altemps in Rome. Gift of Mrs. Charles L. Hutchinson
December 13, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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Amulet of a Papyrus Column https://www.artic.edu/artworks/135848/
Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Norman W. Harris
December 13, 2025 at 12:12 PM
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Fragment of a Floral Inlay https://www.artic.edu/artworks/67869/
In ancient Rome, there was a high demand for colorful glass that could dazzle banquet guests alongside the expensive silver and gold serving wares meant to impress. Fragments like this one would have once been a part of larger mosaic dishes. The mosaic pattern was made by sagging molten glass into bowl-shaped molds, a technique used on many of these fragments is similar to millefiori, “thousand flowers” in Italian, a modern glass-making method in which tiny rods of colored glass are bundled together, wrapped in a sheet of glass, fused, and then thinly sliced to reveal swirls of a flower-like patterns. They were arranged side by side, sometimes together with bits of colored glass, and fused together with heat. Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
December 13, 2025 at 9:25 AM
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Beaker https://www.artic.edu/artworks/117437/
Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
December 12, 2025 at 6:56 PM
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Amulet of a Falcon https://www.artic.edu/artworks/140811/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
December 12, 2025 at 5:18 PM