Coin of Maurice Tiberius c. 594 - 595

This coin of Maurice Tiberius sits here at Harvard, a small bronze disc, heavy with history. Look closely, and you’ll see it's not just an object but a record of process, a kind of slow, deliberate mark-making. The weathered surface tells a story of time and touch. It's easy to imagine the hand that struck this coin, the repetitive motion, the careful placement. The textures, worn smooth in some spots, pitted and rough in others, invite you to consider its journey through time. Notice the raised relief of the emperor's profile. It's like a topographic map of power. This piece is an interesting comparison to the work of Phillip Guston. Like Guston's paintings, which embraced a kind of clumsy directness, this coin has a raw, unrefined quality. But while Guston used his materials to question the nature of painting itself, this coin asks us to reflect on power, permanence, and the passage of time.