Art Institute of Chicago

Denarius (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Venus

Roman, minted in Africa

Date

47-46 BCE, issued by Julius Caesar

Medium

Silver

Culture

Italy

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The purpose of the first portrait coins was to identify the ruler. The front side became a mirror of the sovereign’s self-image. The back was often used to communicate the ruler’s accomplishments or intentions. The profile portrait was used because it suited the very shallow depth and limited surface of the coin. The tiny images were carved by engravers into bronze dies, one for the front and another for the back. The coins were then struck, one by one, in a process similar to how modern coins are created today. Portraits with Divine Ancestors In place of human ancestors, some rulers substituted real or mythic heroes or even the gods as their progenitors. Caesar claimed that the goddess Venus, pictured on this coin, was the tribal mother of the Julian dynasty.

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