Obverse Notes

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The most continuous element in coinage is that of the obverse bust. The subject normally faces to the right. This is a pretty ancient convention, and the generally accepted explanation for this is as follows: When drawing a human face in profile, it is natural for a right handed person to draw the sitter facing left. If this were to be done on a die, the resulting coin would come out facing right (Gierson and Mays, 74). There are occasional examples of left-facing busts, but none in this collection. Frontal busts prior to the mid fourth century (Ibid.).

This fairly limited period allows us to observe patterns that emerged in numismatic portraiture during the decline of the Roman empire. Naturalistic representations see a marked decline around this time. The first element to disappear is the individualism of the portrait. Probably owing somewhat to the insecurity of the individual rulers, and also to public anxiety about the vulnerability of the Roman state, it was considered important that images idealize the emperor and neglect the depiction of any imperfections or weaknesses. Thus the same bust type would often be used to represent different contemporary or successive Augusti. Gradually, the artistic style of these portraits can be seen to deteriorate. Towards the end of the century faces become elongated, and frontal eyes become the convention on numismatic busts (Breglia, 228).

Frontal Busts

Constantius II created this particular type for his last issue (Gierson and Mays, 74). It shows the emperor facing ¾, wearing a pearl-diademed and crested helmet, holding a spear over his right shoulder, and a shield in his left hand. The shield can be decorated in various ways, although the scene shown here of a horseman riding down an enemy is the most common. The enemy is not always visible, and sometimes is nothing more than a blob beneath the horse. The soldier is intended to be seen as spearing the fallen barbarian, you can see that the decoration is not treated with enough detail even to make out the arms of this horseman, much less a spear.

This design would not be used again until Theodosius I revived it in 394 (Ibid.), afterwhich its use was common. His son Arcadius made it the standard issue. The loan collection contains one example of the 3/4 bust issue from each of the three emperors.

In Theodosius’, you can see the riders spear on the shield; In Arcadius’, the rider’s arm is raised as if he is holding a spear, although the spear is not shown.

Profile Busts

All of the profile types are ultimately very similar, making use of a few variable conventions. For one, Julian’s two coins show him bearded. He was ordered to shave by Constantius, who sent him sent him to Gaul, not so much to act as ruler, but rather to provide those subjects with an image of their emperor. Thus, he was to look like Constantius, clean-shaven. Even during the time between his being proclaimed emperor by the army and the death of Constantius, he did not wear a beard, in deference to his senior cousin. After Constantius’ death, however, he grew out his beard, and is depicted with it on coinage after this time (Ibid., 77).

Most emperors, however, presented themselves as cleanshaven youths. They are nearly always shown both draped and cuirassed (Breglia 228). Aside from artistic style, the only real variation in the profile portraits of the collection deals with the presence or type of diadem. The diadem was a kind of crown worn by Augusti, and comes in two styles: pearls or rosettes. These variations are not known to carry any significance.

One coin in the collection has a bust without a diadem. The legend reads D N FL CL CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES. From this we  gather that it was made for Flavian Claudius Constantius, or Gallus, the nephew of Constantius II, who is not an Augustus but an Caesar. The diadem was only worn by Augusti, and thus Constantius Gallus doesn’t wear one. 

Note also that the eyes of Gallus are directed upward. such a design decision would be seen as speaking to the piety of the emperor, or in this case a Caesar, his dependence upon God to guide the ship of state, and also would remind observers that the emperors authority was delegated him by God.

Another feature of this coin to note is that the legend is not broken by the bust. This also is unusual. Generally the portraits take up enough of the coin that the legend is broken. Historically, this would not be the case if a coin were depicting a child or infant emperor. In this case the bust would be smaller and there would be room for the legend to run all the way around the outside of the coin. During the latter part of the 4rth Century convention of the continuous legend came to be used to on coins that the senior augustus would mint for his inferior colleagues (Gierson and Mays, 77).