The naturalistically-rendered portraits of individual emperors popular on
Roman coins were replaced on Byzantine solidi by a series of impersonal
imperial effigies that can barely be differentiated from one another. The
Roman interest in the accurate depiction of physical likeness through attention
to profile and surface appearance was replaced by a desire to stress the
homogeneity of physical features and to emphasize a simpler, flatter, and
more abstract design. This shift in approach to the imperial portrait can
be explained by recognizing that the imperial image was being manipulated
in the service of imperial propaganda. The imperial portraits on Byzantine
solidi are intended to convey a fundamental message about the imperial
office itself: the repetitive, stiff, wooden portraits declare that the
imperial office is greater than any one individual and that when an individual
ascends to this office, he is transcended by the status of the office. The
repetition of the almost identical portrait for successive emperors serves
to emphasize the unchanging majesty and power of the imperial office and
declares the continuity of the institution.
The Byzantine emperor was believed to be a semi-divine figure invested with
imperial authority directly through God's will. For such a person, it would
have been considered inappropriate to emphasize those incidental physical
traits particular to a single individual. Rather than attempting to preserve
an accurate likeness, the portraits convey the public and official image
of the ruler. They are images in which the power, authority, and majesty
of the imperial office are expressed through a highly stylized representation
of the incumbent. Despite the rejection of the naturalistic pictorial style
of ancient Rome, the imperial effigies possess a powerful and commanding
presence. In each case the emperor rigidly faces the spectator and stares
out from the coin with a fixed, emotionless expression. Unmoved by what
he sees, the emperor remains aloof and remote, untouched and untouchable
by his subjects. The immobile pose, exaggerated staring eyes, and complete
lack of animated expression invest each figure with a dominating and authoritarian
demeanor. Even though the figures no longer possess the sense of the individual,
their severely abstracted appearance conveys an aura of power and authority
and exerts a talismanic effect.
(Continues...)
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