Coin of Maurice Tiberius c. 592 - 593

This coin was produced in the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Maurice Tiberius, and seeing it now it feels like holding a piece of history in your hands. The way the image has been worn down over time, the once-sharp lines have softened, and the copper has taken on a beautiful, almost painterly patina. There's a real sense of texture here, and you can almost feel the weight and the smoothness of the metal. I keep looking at that corroded surface, it's kind of incredible how time can transform something so deliberately made into something that feels almost accidental. The incised image of the Emperor is a kind of primitive portrait, yet it bears all the marks of high office; crown, robes, stern gaze. The other side bears the Greek letter 'K', perhaps a monetary value, or a royal cypher, but to me it recalls the work of Cy Twombly, and how he made something profound out of simple graphic gestures. There's something of that here too, in this coin.