Artistically refined coins of the Middle Ages - Show yours!

One interesting thing I have noticed is that anthropological "catastrophes" often seem to have affected most if not all of Eurasia at roughly the same time.

In particular for this thread, is the general collapse seen during the transition from "antiquity" to the "middle ages" which saw general societal breakdown in much more than just Europe in the span of 450-550:

- Rome falls to the barbarians in 476 and is dissolved and divvied up by local kingdoms after 480
- Byzantine Empire launches a disastrous campaign against the Vandals, and goes nearly bankrupt.
- Sassanian shah Peroz I is captured, released, captured again, released again, and then killed by the Hephthalites. Ctesiphon is sacked and the empire barely survives. Sassanian economy is in shambles.
- Alchon invasions into India break up the Gupta empire, much of the subcontinent enters a dark age
- China is locked in a bitter civil war that would not end until the Tang dynasty emerges victorious and unites most of China.

At the turn of the 5th century, the Greek method of minting coins was totally lost, and the best Roman celatores worked only on Gold coins; these remain refined until the time of Justin/Justinian and then become cartoonish. Sassanian celatores lost their knack sometime in the 4th century, and after Peroz the coins are poorly made and cartoonish. Gupta coin coinage fizzles out following the breakup of that empire, and most coins made under or following the Alchon invasions are poorly made and artistically naive. Chinese coins weren't really impacted, I will admit.

The result at any rate was a general breakdown in the artistic merit of nearly all coins under the European dark ages, and the Islamic takeover and subsequent ban on "graven images" although their calligraphy is undeniably beautiful.

There are exceptions however, which is what I would love to see in this thread!

Post your coins minted between 500-1500 that challenge the notion that medieval coins lack artistic skill and merit

I'll start with a favorite of mine, a Nezak Hun Napki Malka billon drachm with arguably one of the best, most realistic portraits of the 7th-9th centuries.

 

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that's purdy!...yeah, there was much upheaval and change.. i think coins record a lot of it...

 

A few of mine from the middle ages..

Constantine VIII 1025-1025, Histamenon 25mm, 4.4g, 7h


Romanus I. 913-959. Æ Follis




And a Venice Grosso..

 

I think this penny of Cnut is quite artistic for the times (1016-1035).

 

Kaykhusraw II 1240-1243AD I understand these are year dated but I do not know how to read them.

 

@dougsmit: The year is 641 as depicted at the bottom of the reverse, similar to mine even though it has different control marks on the obverse. I'll upload the entries on Diwani numbers from Broome:

Seljuqs of Rum: Ghiyath al-Din Kay Khusraw II bin Kay Qubadh (1237-1246 CE) AR Dirham, Konya, AH 641 (Album 1218; Broome 246, Type G; Izmirlier 403)

Obv: Lion passant to right above a sun in radiance, ✶ to the left and to the right of sun, two Ƨ below lion; Inscribed in Arabic, in kufic above - ﺍﻻﻣﺎﻡ المستعصم بالله ﺍﻣﻴﺮﺍﻟﻤﺆﻣﻨﻴﻦ (the Imam al-Musta'sim bi-'llah, Commander of the Faithful)
Rev: Inscribed in Arabic, in naskhi - ﺍﻟﺴﻠﻄﺎﻥ ﺍﻻﻋﻈﻢ ﻏﻴﺎﺙ ﺍﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ ﻭ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﻛﻴﺨﺴﺮﻭ ﺑﻦ ﻛﻴﻘﺒﺎﺩ (The Great Sultan, Ghiyath al-Dunya wa-l-Din Kay Khusraw Kay Qubadh); mint/date formula around margin - ﺿﺮﺏ ﺑﻘﻮﻧﻴﺔ ﻓﻰ ﺳﻨﺔ ﺍﻩﺍﺭﺑﻌﻴﻦ ﻭﺳﺘﻤﺎﺋﺔ (Struck in Konya (Quniya) in the year 641)

 

I always thought the Artuqids coins had a pleasing style.



Nasir Al-Din Artuq Arlsan, 1201-1239 AD, AE Dirham

O: Facing male head (helios?), R: 5 line Kufic Legend. 20 mm, 5.3 g.

 

Awesome examples, all! That Constantine VIII in particular is amazing - I wonder how they managed to engrave that one, centuries after Byzantine gold had degraded to cartoons?

I'll contribute a few of mine, of course from my favorite coin series ever, the Indo-Sassanians!

Ground Zero are the series tentatively attributed to the Gurjuras, theorized by Maheshwari to be slaves or mercenaries for the Hepthalites and Alchons, bringing Peroz drachms with them, c. 500-650 AD

This first one is unlike any in any reference work, and is arguably an improvement over the original:



Another that is easy on the eyes, I call him Hulk Hogan


The artistry breaks down from that point, but there are brief periods of renaissance:

 

Czar Stefan Uros IV Dusan (1331-1355), silver "sword" dinar, Rudnik mint, 1.5g. Obverse: Dusan enthroned facing, holding sword over his lap, Latin legend REX RASIE ST IP ROMA (King of Rascia [Serbia], Stefan Emperor of the Romaion [Byzantines - Romans]). Reverse: Christ enthroned, holding Book of Gospels, sigla R - V.

Czar Stefan Uros IV Dusan (1331-1355), silver "horseman" dinar, 1.4g. Obverse: Dusan on horseback facing, crowned and in loros, holding cruciform scepter, Serbian initials: СФb ZP (SF - ZR). Reverse: Bust of Christ facing, holding akakia, sigla N-O to sides, IC XC above.

Despot Djuradj (George) Brankovic (1402-1412, 1427-1456), silver aspra of Smederevo, 0.9g. Obverse: Crowned Djuradj enthroned facing, with drawn sword and globus cruciger, Serbian legend: ДЕСПОТЬ ГЮРГЬ (DESPOT DJURDJ). Reverse: Lion rampant (Brankovic family emblem), circular Serbian legend: CMДPBO (SMDRVO).

 

I'm thinking of sceattas with those great dragons, but I can't show them. Islamic coins with animals or people are rugged or primitive, but some of the calligraphic coins are unsurpassed.

This Samanid gold dinar of Nishapur AD 938 (327 AD) is a wonder of medieval perfection. It has even been signed by the celator: his name, Abu Harith, can be seen, very small, on the obverse, 9 o’clock margin.



This Rassid dirham, issued in Dhofar (Oman), AD 1245 (543 AH), is full of repetitive pious formulas.



And this is one of my most recent coins, a double dirham of the Ilkhanids (Mongolian descendants), issued in Tabriz, 1326 AD (= 726 AH).

Only some early Renaissance coins and those of Frederick II (Sicily) may approach this accomplishment, I think.

 

From the Medieval Era, best of mine artistically are a gold Ducato of Venice during the time of Doge Michele Steno, as well as a rare Islamic coin showing Sultan of Mosul Badr-El-Dine Lu'Lu'.

 

FRANCE - Philippe IV "Le Bel" (1285-1314) - Gros tournois a l'O rond Atelier de Lille ? (2 petits points a droite du lis superieur du revers)
+ BNDICTV SIT NOME DNI NRI DEI IhV XPI dans le cercle exterieur, +PHILIPPVS REX dans le cercle interieur, croix au centre
TVRONVS CIVIS + dans le cercle interieur, chatel tournois au centre, bordure de douze fleurs de lis a l'exterieur
4.13 gr
Ref : Ciani # 203

Q

 

It was not for a lack of talent but a change in philosophy. Spiritualism a Philosophy by Plotinus , beauty itself it the ultimate simplicity. "Real beauty is in the Soul and the body merely disrupts the perception of the Beauty."

This philosophy effected all religions and all western cultures of the time.

The Celator had an article in 1989. Here it is.

https://community.vcoins.com/celator-vol-03-no-11/

Also check out Neoplatonism.

Here is a coin that is a nice example of abstract art , dougsmit has a perfect example of a 1/2 Hyperpyron from a later ruler. His coin inspired me to buy this one.

Manuel II ( 1391-1425) 1/4 Hyperpyron 3.48gm SBCV -2551


Now for a great article written by Chris Connell, he dissects the Christ style of this coin ( Actually a John VIII th)

https://community.vcoins.com/celator-vol-05-no-12/

Go to Page 36.

Chris helped me when I first started collecting 12th century tetartera, he answered my questions when their were few people around who were familiar with the time period. I have not seen his name in some time, I am still grateful to him.

 

Not represented above:


Sasanian, Khusru II (591-628)


England, Kent: Wihtred (c. 690-725)


Qarakhanid: Anonymous 411 AH (1020-21)


Song: Hui Zong (1101-1125), 10 cash, emperor's own script


Lilavati (1197-1212, Sri Lanka)


Milan: Gian Galeazzo Visconti (1395-1402)

This last one is just past the 1500 boundary:

Papal States: Leo X (1513-1521)

 

Did I ever tell you I'm collecting the Dombes coinage ?



Both the following were issued before 1488 CE for Jean II de Bourbon


Franc à cheval, or - sans date - Atelier de Trévoux
+IONES*DVX*BORBONII*TREVOBCII׃ DNS. Buste cuirassé du Prince à gauche, portant le collier de l'ordre de St Michel.
DEXTER A*D NI.*EXAL TAVIT*MEA Le Prince casqué et cuirassé à cheval, brandissant une épée et passant à droite. La housse est semée de lis, accompagnée de la brisure (les armes de la maison de Bourbon).
3,44g - 22 mm
Ref : Divo Dombes # 1 (5 exemplaires décrits), Mantellier -, Poey d’Avant -, Caron # 544, Friedberg # 119



Blanc, billon - sans date - Atelier de Trévoux
+ IOhES : DVX : BORBONI : TREVORCII : DNS Ecu de Bourbon accosté de trois flammes dans un double trilobe
+ DISPERSIT (rose) DEDIT (rose) PAVPERIBVS A Croix pattée cantonnée de deux lis et deux flammes, dans un double quadrilobe
2.91 gr
Ref : Divo Dombes # 2, PA # 5076, Boudeau # 1044

Q

 

1279-1307 Edward I hammered silver penny, England. I lucked into this one rather cheaply.

 

ENGLAND Edward III Noble n.d. (1369-77) Calais mint

 

14th-15th-century gros from Metz, France:



Naples Gigliato, Robert D’anJon, 1309-1343:



Nice portrait of king John (1199-1216):



I am currently working on getting a very artistically-rendered medieval struck in Florence, Italy. It is being elusive right now. It will get a good writeup when I finally find one.

 

Here is a grumpy portrait of Edward IV

 

Lucky your dates just allow me to slip in a few renaissance beauties:

Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Milan, 1474-6. Dies attributed to Caradosso.

Giovanni II Bentivoglio, Bologna, 1494. Dies by Francia.