The Development of the Byzantine Solidus Pg. 4

Occasionally there were exceptions to the general practice of avoiding individualized portraiture. The most notable example is that of Phocas (A.D. 602-10), who broke with the fifth- and sixth-century convention of depicting the emperor without a beard. A pointed beard coupled with long shaggy bangs sets his portrait apart from those of his predecessors (no. 134). The portraits of several of his successors also possess characterized portrait elements. The long beard of Constans II (A.D. 641-68) and the fuller, more rounded face of Leontius (A.D. 695-98) are two of the more notable examples (nos. 136, 138). The mere presence or absence of a beard, however, should not be taken as indicative of an individual emperor's appearance. We know from contemporary records, for example, that Constantine V (A.D. 741-775), shown on his coins with a beard, was beardless (no. 141).

The severely abstracted pictorial style generally used to depict the image of the ruler, which so strongly contrasts with the relatively sophisticated naturalism of Roman ruler portraits, is not restricted to Byzantine imperial portraits alone. It is a style typical of Byzantine art in general and tends to be found in a particularly exaggerated form in images of figures in authority, especially religious figures and secular rulers. An almost identical rigid frontal pose is combined with a similarly exaggerated staring expression in the image of Christ as Pantokrator as found in Byzantine mosaics and coins (nos. 145-147). When used in connection with religious figures such as the Pantokrator, the style seems to emphasize the superiority of the spiritual and mystical over the physical and material.

Byzantine imperial portraits are above all else images which attempt to express the power and authority of the emperor. As a result, the dress and insignia of office, those items that most immediately indicate imperial status, played a fundamental role in the imperial portraits on Byzantine solidi. Three distinct types of dress were used for the imperial portrait: military, civil, and consular. Military dress had formed an important aspect of imperial portraiture during the Roman period and continued to be popular on Byzantine solidi until the seventh century. The essential element was the cuirass, the armoured breastplate. This was sometimes combined with a cloak worn over the top, the paludamentum, which was fastened with a brooch or fibula at the right shoulder. In the earliest Byzantine solidi the emperor was usually shown wearing an ornate helmet and carrying a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right hand. This type of facing military portrait was first developed by Constantius II in the middle of the fourth century, and it remained popular into the sixth century (nos. 130, 131). During the course of the sixth century it was modified in several ways. In the solidus of Justinian I (A.D. 527-65), the spear usually held by the emperor is replaced by the globus cruciger, a symbol of sovereignty that was to become one of the most important items of Byzantine imperial insignia (no. 132). Tiberius II (A.D. 578-82) and Phocas eliminated the shield and replaced the ornate imperial helmet with a simple crown (nos. 133, 134).

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