Gold Solidus of Constantine II

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This coin was struck in Rome, probably in the year 353 by Constantius II, one of the four sons of Constantine the Great. Constantius II ruled the Eastern half of the empire from 337 to 353, when he became ruler of the entire empire upon the death of his brother Constans (350) and the defeat of the usurper Magnentius (353). He is remembered for his support of Arianism (a Christian sect that had been declared heretical at the Council of Nicaea in 325), and for his construction of the original Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, which Justinian would rebuild on a grander scale 200 years later. Constantius is shown on this coin in a new portrait style, at a three-quarter angle. He wears military dress, holding a lance and a shield. On the shield is shown a sunburst motif.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art