Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying King Mithridates VI
90-89 BCE, reign of Mithradates VI of Pontus and Bithynia (120–63 BCE)
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Diam.: 3.1 cm (1 1/4 in.)
Classification
coin
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
5773
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The front of this coin portrays King Mithradates, wearing a diadem and facing right. The back depicts the winged horse Pegasus surrounded by an as yet untranslated inscription.
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...