Coin of Maurice Tiberius c. 582 - 583

This coin was made by Maurice Tiberius in Harvard. The surfaces of these coins are worn and dark, but I still find the making process so compelling. I imagine Tiberius carefully imprinting his authority onto these small, weighty discs, one by one, with what I'm sure was a handmade tool. There’s something really intimate about that level of direct contact with a material; the pressure, the texture, the sound. I'm thinking about other artist-rulers, and how their power and influence has extended beyond their kingdoms and empires. Basquiat, Warhol, Picasso... all artists in command of their individual empires. Each coin is an expression of power, ambition, and creativity, existing in the same continuum of image-making that we all share.