Tremissis of Emperor Maurice Tiberius (r. 582–602)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Through the 400s and 500s, the Visigoths minted gold coins mimicking Byzantine imperial coins. Early Visigothic issues closely resemble their imperial models, but by the mid-500s the images and inscriptions had strayed far from Byzantine designs. In the late 500s and 600s, Visigothic rulers minted coins in their own names and showed themselves in simple frontal portraits.

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