Follis of Leo VI and Alexander

This copper coin depicts the rulers Leo VI and Alexander enthroned next to each other. Between them they hold a labarum, a Roman military standard. This follis was minted in Constantinople with a proportion of 288 folles equal to one gold coin (solidus). Because this coin had a lower value, people of lower status used this denomination more frequently. Someone who might have used such a coin was a “poor monk” who would have given the coin during religious alms, if not a handful of beans (Morrisson 2010, p. 42). This coin is very stylized; using Jaś Elsner’s framework for stylistic analysis, certain deductions about the coin’s intention can be made (Elsner 2003). The figures of Leo VI and Alexander lack a natural look and are cartoonish by today’s standards. The thrones on which they sit are also simplistic. The simplification of the imagery makes it clear as to what is being seen, with a focus on the main elements: two emperors enthroned, holding a labarum between them. This image, paired with the accessibility of the follis, has been simplified for efficient viewing and understanding in the Byzantine empire and abroad. In the depiction of Leo VI in the narthex mosaic located at the Hagia Sophia, the emperor looks very pious and his position reflects one of humility in proskynesis. It serves as a statement about the emperor’s power in relation to Christ; even the emotion in his face reflects deep reverence for Jesus at the center of the mosaic. Leo’s image on the coin contrasts with this depiction of piety in the mosaic. He is shown enthroned, static, frontal, and hieratically larger and more important than his brother Alexander. The omission of religious imagery, and the emphasis on his imperial nature, reflect an awareness about his position in relation to God. While the mosaic communicates his close connection to Christ and the heavenly court, the coin highlights his status as ruler of the earthly court. Paired with the image’s simplicity and intended wide accessibility, this coin was meant to be broadly understood by those within the empire and around with the message that Leo was the ruler of the earthly court and that he was close to Christ and God. Bibliography Carlisle, Maria Cristina. 2016. “Imperial Icons in Late Antiquity and Byzantium: The Iconic Image of the Emperor between Representation and Presence.” IKON 9: 75–98. Elsner, Jaś. 2003. “Style.” In Critical Terms for Art History, 2nd ed., eds. Robert S. Nelson, and Richard Shiff, 98–109. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Grierson, Philip. 1973. Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, vol. 3, Leo III to Nicephorus III, 717–1081. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. Morrisson, Cécile. 2010. “Money, Coins and the Economy.” In The Byzantine World, ed. Paul Stephenson, 34–46. London: Routledge. Maddie Garner (’24) for ARHS 110 (Fall 2022)https://digital.kenyon.edu/arthistorystudycollection/2562/thumbnail.jp