CALIGULA portrait

Although many bronze coins display a portrait of Caligula (often tooled) this silver coin, in my opinion is probaby the most accurate...contenders invited !

 

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That is a nice example, do you have a reverse photo?

 

Here's a contender for LEAST lifelike portrait of Caligula:


Calligula AD 37-41
Roman provincial Æ 28 mm, 11.17 gm
Carthago Nova, Spain, AD 37-38
Obv: C. CAESAR AVG. GERMANIC. IMP. P.M. TR.P. COS., laureate head of Caligula, right
Rev: CN. ATEL. FLAC. CN. POM. FLAC. II. VIR. Q.V.I.N.C., head of Salus (some attribute to Caesonia, wife of Calligula) right, SAL AVG across field
Refs: SGI 419; Heiss 272, 35; Cohen 247, 1; RPC 1, 185; SNG Cop 503.

 

PMONNEY => congrats on scoring that cool OP-Caligula (total winner)

Ummm, here is my humble AE contender ...

 

i just happen to have an old photo of little boots taken just before his untimely demise..um...now where did i put that?!? well in any case, nice denarius, i only have humble ae as bronze and brass (not tooled)

 

I recently made this post, describing two small provincial coins issues by Caligula in Philadelphia, Lydia...

The first has our favorite sea-goat Capricornus, the goat that suckled the infant Zeus after he was rescued by his mother Rhea, from being devoured by his father Cronos. The goat's broken horn was transformed into the horn of plenty, or cornucopia. Capricornus is attested as far back as the 21st Century BC. (Ancient coins really aren't that ancient in the larger picture, are they?)



The second has a panther carrying a thrysus. What is a thyrsus and why would a panther be carrying one? Well I'm glad you asked. A thrysus is a staff of giant fennel, decorated with ivy leaves and topped by a pine cone. It is phallic in it's symbolism, the cone representing the the head of the penis and the seeds within representing fertility. The panther was one Dionysus' favorite rides, as in this ancient mosaic from Pella...



Dionysus was of course the god of extreme partying. and y'all know about Caligula already...



Caligula AD 37-41
AE17, 3.6g, 12h; Philadelphia, Lydia. Magistrate Moschion Moschionos.
Obv. ΓAIOY KAICAP; Bare head right.
Rev. ΦIΛOKAICAP ΦIΛOΔЄΛΦЄWN MOCXIWN MOCXIWNOC; Capricorn left.
Reference: RPC I, 3027.

Caligula AD 37-41
AE17, 2.1g, 1h; Philadelphia, Lydia. Magistrate Artemon, son of Hermogenos.
Obv. ΓAIOC KAICAP ΓEPMANIKOC; Laureate head right.
Rev. APTEMΩN EPMOΓENOVC NEOKAICAPEΩN; Panther walking right, head turned left, thyrsus over shoulder.
Reference: RPC I, 3033.

 

Nice portrait

 

I have only one Caligula:


Gaius Caligula, AD 37-41
Æ As, 29mm, 11.5g, 6h; Rome mint, AD 37-8
Obv.: C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT, bare head left.
Rev.: VESTA above, S C across field, Vesta, veiled and draped, seated left on ornamental throne, holding patera and long transverse scepter.


While your portrait is very detailed @PMONNEY I don't like it. It looks "off" to me. I'm not crying fake or anything like that but it looks cartoon-y to me and I would have avoided it. Maybe its the style.

 

I have a very humble Caligula...


RI Gaius Caligula AE As 37-41 CE Vesta seated S-C

 

Dionysus, a panther, and a thyrsus, you say?


Faustina Jr., 147-175
Roman provincial AE 9.06 gm; 24.7 mm
Thrace, Anchialus, AD 147-175
Obv: ΦΑVCΤΕΙΝΑ ΝΕΑ CΕΒΑCΤΗ, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: ΑΓΧΙΑΛΕΩΝ, Dionysos standing left, holding cantharus and thyrsus; panther at feet, left.
Refs: AMNG 434; Varbanov 90; BMC --; SNG Copenhagen --

 

I would love to be able to get a Caligula denarius someday. Here's my only coin of him.

 

I love my bronze Caligula so much that I traded away a middling denarius. (This As is better in hand; I need to take a new photo.)

 

What did Gaius (Caligula) really look like?

This is one of the portraits displayed by Wikipedia. The similarity to that displayed in his coins is certainly there.
One can assume this is therefore his most 'likely likeness' (?)

Below: my sestertius of Gaius Caligula.

 

This is what I think he looked like.

 

Here is my poor example.

 

He looks like you butchered him

 

In silver what I have for Caligula is a drachm from Caesarea, Cappodocia :

The use of Latin letters and text makes it look like a denarius.

 

I've wondered about the accuracy of coin portraits for as long as I've been collecting ancients. The fundamental question is: how can anyone know how accurate a coin portrait might be?

It's my understanding that coin portraits were based on busts/sculptures of the individual, but that raises the question of how accurate the busts/sculptures were.

What about paintings of the emperors? Are there any known, verified paintings of the 12 Caesars?

I'll admit that I haven't done any detailed research on this topic. Has anyone else delved into this topic in greater depth?

 

I have never understood how we verify statues. Perhaps we compare them to coins??? I consider the Caligula in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts a reasonable match for the Vesta asses.