Coin of Perinthos under Septimius Severus c. 2th - 3th century

Editor: This is a bronze coin of Perinthos under Septimius Severus, located at the Harvard Art Museums. The details are worn, but the textures seem quite tactile. What can you tell me about the composition and its effects? Curator: Consider the circular form itself, a self-contained universe. The incised portrait, juxtaposed with the figure bearing what appears to be a cista mystica, creates a binary opposition. Do you see how the lines of the portrait are assertive, while the figure on the reverse is more fluid? Editor: I see that contrast now that you mention it. So, the texture and lines contribute to the coin's meaning? Curator: Precisely. The aesthetic value lies not just in the representation, but in the formal relationships between the elements and the material itself. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Thanks. Curator: My pleasure. It is in such formal observations that we find deeper aesthetic truths.