The Hellenized Portraits Of Hadrian

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 630
circusmax120 Valued Member United States 319 Posts	Posted 03/05/2022 12:03 pm In an earlier topic posting entitled 'Hadrian And Egypt: A Fascinating Tetradrachm!', I showed an example of a portrait of Hadrian with what I perceived to be slightly Hellenized features. A responding post by Jim (Novicius) highlighted a marvelous example with even more Greek-influenced characteristics. [Perhaps I can get him to post it again here] This inspired me to be watchful for coins that depict this kind of stylistic shift in Hadrian's appearance...and I found one! This particular 27.5mm (10.7g) AE As, struck in Rome around 121 AD, takes the Hellenistic look even further. Very straight line from the hairline to the tip of the nose, with idealized features. Just a few steps away from being an animated character from a Disney adaptation of the Emperor's life. Obverse: IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG. Reverse: PONT MAX TR POT COS III, PIE AVG S/C. The goddess Pietas standing, arms lifted, over an altar. Anyone else out there feel they have examples of similar representations? Thanks for the inspiration, Jim! Edited by circusmax120 03/05/2022 8:18 pm Report this Post to the Staff

Novicius Pillar of the Community United Kingdom 1168 Posts	Posted 03/05/2022 1:08 pm Happy to oblige. Here is the previously posted Hadrian. Report this Post to the Staff
circusmax120 Valued Member United States 319 Posts	Posted 03/05/2022 1:27 pm Beautiful coin, Jim. Thank you for posting it again here. Very nice example of the topic at hand. Being a Grecophile, I believe it's safe to assume Hadrian approved of this depiction of himself. Report this Post to the Staff
Novicius Pillar of the Community United Kingdom 1168 Posts	Posted 03/05/2022 8:23 pm You are welcome, Mike. Both portraits are skilfully done, so I would imagine that Hadrian would indeed have been pleased with them. Again, the craftsmanship of the engravers shines through in the subtle differences between the young clean shaven Hadrian, and his older bearded self. The ageing is clearly seen. These men were portrait artists (sculptors?) of the highest order. Report this Post to the Staff
circusmax120 Valued Member United States 319 Posts	Posted 03/11/2022 11:24 am Here is an image of the copper As featured at the top of this thread, taken with better lighting. While it is moderately successful at capturing the color more accurately, it is still a far cry from truly representing the actual in-hand copper lustre of this specimen. Regardless, this portrait is awesome! Report this Post to the Staff
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