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 Replies: 13 / Views: 1,000 |
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Valued Member
United States
319 Posts |
Over time, my fascination with ancient coins has evolved. Having as much to do with artistic inspiration as it does with the historical aspects. This realization has served to focus my interest: larger coins with portraits that exhibit (to my eye) telltale details of the die-cutters skill at rendering a realistic portrayal of the person being depicted. It certainly makes my choices more difficult, as coins with such portraits often cost more to acquire. Being financially constrained, I have to strike a balance. Find a desirable coin at a decent price. This Trajan is a good example. The mottled patina, while interesting, actually obscures the wonderful portrait. Enlarged...the awesome skill of the artist becomes clear!  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17918 Posts |
Fantastic!  |
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Valued Member
 United States
319 Posts |
I totally agree, NumisRob. A truly marvelous portrait!
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10034 Posts |
That is one amazing portrait on an ancient! Wow.   |
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Valued Member
United States
319 Posts |
Could not possibly agree with you more, Earle42. So impressive! Also, sobering to understand that the artist's name is lost in time. We are fortunate to be able to admire his work 1900 years later.
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Valued Member
United States
319 Posts |
Here is a sharper image of this splendid dupondius. A truly marvelous, well-centered portrait of this Golden Age emperor. Such a sharp, beautiful, skillfully rendered relief! I was kindly reminded that the reverse is always a welcome thing, so I have included it here in this new upload.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
1168 Posts |
This second image shows the Trajan dupondius to a much better advantage. The detail in the crafting of the features is much clearer. Another super portrait. It is always nice to see both sides of the coin. Thanks for posting. |
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Valued Member
United States
319 Posts |
I agree, Novicius. A much better image. At 27mm, the portrait is quite small (19mm) and the mottled, uneven patina presents a challenge in viewing the beautiful details by unaided eye. Even magnified, the angle of the lighting plays an important role in seeing things clearly.
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Pillar of the Community
 Spain
2752 Posts |
That's an admirable portrait very regal!....
Love the patina on the obverse and although photographically troublesome aesthetically pleasing.
I'm enjoying your threads and just wanted to ask if it's ok to post other coins of the OP Emperor/Empress on your threads?
BTW....Lovely looking coin.....
Paul
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Valued Member
United States
319 Posts |
If by "ok to post other coins of the OP Emperor/Empress" you mean, is it okay for other Community members to post "portraits" of their cherished collections...oh yeah. I'm totally onboard with that, Paul. Your suggestion is more than okay with me. In fact, that is the desired effect I'd hoped for when I began these threads. This community is all about sharing the experience, insight, and enthusiasm we hold for this "hobby"/obsession. Let's show the goods!
Edited by circusmax120
02/18/2022 09:10 am
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Pillar of the Community
Spain
2752 Posts |
This was one of my first ancient coin purchases and I still to this day admire the portrait....A strong Spaniard!... Trajan ar Denarius 98-117AD 20mm/2.66gr (Minted 103-111AD) Obverse-IMPTRAIANO AVG GER DAC PMTRP laureate bust right, slight drapery on left shoulder Reverse-COS VPPS PQR OPTIMO PRINC Aequitas standing left, holding scales and cornucopiae....RIC II #118.  |
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Valued Member
United States
319 Posts |
There are some extraordinarily nice portraitures to be seen on these smaller denomination coins. Your denarius is a fine example. Trajan was a tireless self-promoter and his coinage reflects that fact. There are wide variety of artistic styles for this emperor's image. Thank you for jumping in the pool, Paul!
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Pillar of the Community
Spain
2752 Posts |
The one major downfall of this Denarius is that the engraver obviously struggled to draw 'ears' at art school!...
I'd been thinking about collecting some bronzes of Trajan recently and after seeing your op coin has at last got me searching...
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Valued Member
United States
319 Posts |
There is an abundance of fine examples of Trajan out there, Paul. As much as I love sestertii, when focusing on portraiture, they are often priced out of my range. So I tend to look for dupondius and as. Smaller yes, but more budget-friendly. I hope you enjoy the hunt! Speaking as an artist who has drawn thousands of human figures over years: Ears are a difficult thing to master...along with hands and feet!
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Replies: 13 / Views: 1,000 |
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Posted 02/04/2022 4:08 pm
