Quote from Stkp: “ . . . I have no doubt that the skill set of the die engravers would not have permitted them to create the kind of portraiture that we encounter on classic ancient Greek or
Roman coins. But in later centuries the
Roman portraiture declined, and the
portrait on this coin can hold its own with many coins minted during some of the lower points in
Roman coinage
history.”
The above quote by Stkp is interesting, and I decided to expand on it a
bit.
Below, I posted a composite picture of ten Anglo-Saxon coin in my
gallery. The first was issued about 866-874, and the last in 1066 – so they are from the last two centuries of Anglo-Saxon
England.
Top Row: Burgred, Alfred the Great, Edward the Martyr, Aethelred II, and Aethelred II.
Bottom Row: Cnut, Harold I, Harthacnut, Edward the Confessor, Harold II.
I believe these Anglo-Saxon
portraits were based on those from
Roman coins of the late third century to the mid fourth century. There are a number of elements of
Roman coin portraiture in these
portraits, and I do not think their appearance is accidental:
1. These Anglo-Saxon
portraits are profile busts seen from the
side, not full-face
portraits seen from the front. This was
standard on
Roman coins. After the coming of the Normans (1066), though, full-face
portraits gradually became more common.
Henry II was the first to use only full-face
portraits on
his coinage (1154), and it was the full-face
portrait of Edward I (1279) that was used as a generic
portrait of the
king until the early 1500s.
2. Four of these coins show the
king wearing a diadem. The diadems of Burgred and Alfred resemble the diadems with a large jewel at the top of the forehead seen on
Roman coins of the sons of
Constantine – except here there is a crescent at the top instead of a jewel. The
portrait of Edward the Martyr and the first Aethelred
portrait show the tie-ends of the diadem (with ornamental balls on the end) behind the
king’s
head. Even Harold II has these coming out from underneath
his crown. Again, these tie-ends of the diadem are
standard on the coinage of the sons of
Constantine.
3. Cnut is shown helmeted. Cnut, Harold I, and Harthacnut show what is probably
military armor on their shoulders (
cuirassed in
RIC terminology). Harold I has a
shield in addition to
his armor. It is well known that
Probus,
Constantine, and
Crispus are shown on
Roman coins as being helmeted,
cuirassed, and sometimes holding a
shield.
4. Several of these
portraits – Edward the Martyr, both Aethelred
portraits, and Edward the Confessor – show the
king wearing a
toga (draped, in
RIC terminology), the clasp being clearly visible along the neckline. This, too, is often seen on
Roman coins of the third and fourth centuries.
5. Five of these
portraits show a
scepter in front of the
king’s
face. Some
Roman coins show a “consular
bust” of the emperor. These “consular
bust” coins often show him holding a
scepter that appears in front of
his face.
Although the Anglo-Saxons were certainly aware of the
Roman Empire, I’m not sure they understood the significance some of these
portrait elements – for example, the
toga and the ornamented tie-ends of the diadem. However, it is the adaptation of
Roman coin portraiture elements to their own coinage 500 years later that produced, in the words of peterpil19 (above), “those odd, yet charming
portraits.”
Click on picture below to enlarge it.
For larger pictures, the reverses of these coins, and coins with later
portraits, please see my
gallery:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=4762
