Half-Stavraton of Manuel II c. 1391 - 1425

Curator: At the Harvard Art Museums, we have a Half-Stavraton, a coin, minted by Manuel II. It weighs a mere 3.72 grams. Editor: There's a somber mood evoked by the aged metal, and the images of the emperor and what appears to be Christ. Curator: The low relief and incised lines are quite characteristic of Byzantine coinage from this period. It's a study in flatness, the figures reduced to near abstraction. Editor: And a study in power, wouldn't you say? Who gets to be depicted, what symbols are chosen, and who controls the mint. Coinage served as propaganda. Curator: Indeed. The semiotics are fascinating: the rigid frontality, the halos, the inscriptions that are strategically placed within the circular frame, all create meaning. Editor: It makes you wonder about the average person holding this object, what it meant to them to possess a piece of the emperor's image. Curator: Precisely! These material objects offer insights into the Byzantine era's sociopolitical and religious landscapes. Editor: I am struck by the potential of this coin to reveal insights into Byzantine visual culture. Curator: And I, in turn, am reminded of the complexities inherent in even the smallest of artworks.