Politikon of John V c. 1341 - 1391

Curator: Let's explore this Politikon of John V, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Look closely at the object. Editor: It feels like a whisper from a forgotten market, doesn’t it? The texture, the wear, it speaks of being clutched in countless palms. Melancholy, almost. Curator: Indeed. Think about the politics and economics embedded in its very existence. As currency, it facilitated exchange, labor, and the material conditions of its time. Editor: It's a tiny portal! I imagine the weight of it, the promise it held—a loaf of bread, a small act of kindness. It's not just metal; it’s hope and sweat immortalized. Curator: Precisely. And the design itself reflects power structures. We are talking about John V Palaiologos, and this piece embodies the material culture of Byzantium. Editor: To hold it… It's like touching the heart of a ghost story about commerce. Such a small object with such large resonance. Curator: Absolutely, a reminder that even the smallest object can reveal extensive narratives of production, trade, and consumption. Editor: Yes, a small material object that conjures vast impressions of a time and a place.