Art Institute of Chicago

Cistophoric Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying Mark Antony

Roman, probably minted in EphesusLinkedCulture matchlcp-d191593a223f

Date: 39-38 BCE, issued by Mark Antony
Medium: Silver
Culture: Roman Empire
Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 142756

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

The Roman general Mark Antony forged an alliance with Queen Cleopatra of Egypt in an attempt to capture Rome’s eastern territories. On this coin he had himself depicted wearing the ivy-leaf crown of Dionysos in order to reinforce his claim that he was “the new Dionysos” and therefore had divine right to rule. The Greek historian Plutarch (Antony, 24:3) described Antony’s entry into Ephesus in 41 CE as follows: "When he entered Ephesus, women dressed like Bacchants, men and boys like satyrs and Pans, led the way. The city was full of ivy and thyrsos-wands and harps, pipes and flutes. People were calling him Dionysos Giver of Joy and the Benefactor."

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Gift of William F. Dunham
Provenance: William F. Dunham (1857-1936), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1920.

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Object type: AAT300037334

Part of a LinkedCulture topic

18th-19th Century European Portrait Miniatures
These objects are predominantly portrait miniatures and small-scale portrait paintings from Central European and Russian courts, created between the 18th and 19th centuries using techniques such as watercolor on ivory, g
146 objects from 4 institutions