89Т. Histamenon Coin, Michael VII Ducas, Byzantine Empire, 1071-1078, gold
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89Т. Histamenon Coin, Michael VII Ducas, Byzantine Empire, 1071-1078, gold
Starting price:
EUR 800
Sold
EUR 900
gold, d=30 mm
Obverse: the face of Christ Pantocrator, frontally, well detailed, blessing with his right hand and holding the Gospel in his left hand. The head is framed by a cruciform nimbus, and the inscription + MIX-AHA - RACIA O frames the image, in a solemn and deep religious representation.
Reverse: Emperor Michael VII standing, frontally, wearing a chiton and an imperial loros, holding a labarum (military standard) and a globus cruciger – symbols of earthly and divine authority. The inscription +MICHAHL RACI ΔЄCΠOTH ("Michael, by the grace of God, Despot").
This coin reflects not only the Byzantine artistic style of the late period, but also the economic and political turmoil of the Empire, marked by the fall in the purity of gold and monetary instability. Nevertheless, the piece retains a symbolic strength and a special visual beauty.
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