Coin of Romanos III c. 1028 - 1034

Curator: What strikes me immediately is the intense concentration of detail, almost overwhelming the small golden surface. Editor: We're looking at a coin of Romanos III, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Such objects circulated widely, acting as potent conveyors of Byzantine imperial power. Curator: The composition is highly conventional, isn't it? Christ enthroned on one side, the emperor receiving blessing on the other, typical iconography for legitimizing rule. Editor: Exactly. The visual language here is pure propaganda, meticulously crafted to broadcast the emperor’s divinely sanctioned authority. Its materiality, gold, underscores his wealth and power. Curator: Yet, the execution feels somewhat…stiff. The figures lack the fluid grace you sometimes see in Byzantine art, perhaps reflecting the emperor's own political insecurities. Editor: Maybe so, but what impresses me is how this tiny object served as a crucial medium in shaping public perception and solidifying Romanos’s place in the political landscape. Curator: A powerful little object, indeed, loaded with significance. Editor: It really makes you think about the relationship between art, power, and perception.