Cleveland Museum of Art

Histamenon of Romanus III

Date

1028–34

Medium

gold

Culture

Byzantium

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Romanus III Argyrus (968–April 11, 1034) was Byzantine emperor from November 15, 1028, until his death. He was husband of Zoe, the daughter of Constantine VII, the man Romanus was to succeed as emperor three days after wedding the daughter. He appears to have thought a lot of himself and his abilities, but in fact was inept, corrupt, and self-absorbed. His government was filled with corruption and mismanagement. He made the mistake of ignoring his wife Zoe and limiting her expenses in an effort to reduce expenditures. This would prove fatal to him as he was either poisoned or drowned (accounts differ) by the hand or order of his wife. On one side is a seated figure of Christ enthroned, on the other the Virgin is shown touching the head of emperor Romanus III.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.