Follis of Constantine VII, Constantinople 945 - 950

Editor: Here we have a Follis of Constantine VII from Constantinople, currently at the Harvard Art Museums. It looks well-worn, but there’s still an image of the emperor visible. What can you tell me about the significance of this coin? Curator: Coins, like this Follis, were powerful tools for disseminating political messages. Consider who controlled the imagery: the emperor himself, using the coin to project authority and ensure his image circulated throughout the Byzantine world. Editor: So, it's less about personal artistic expression and more about political propaganda? Curator: Exactly. How does understanding its function as currency change your perspective on it as an object? Editor: I guess I see it less as art and more as an early form of mass communication. Curator: Precisely. It's a small object carrying a very large message, shaping public perception of the emperor.