jlueke Posted December 21, 2005 Report Share Posted December 21, 2005 While my Christmas present from my wife (hehehe) in the form of an ancient coin arrived today there's one package I was awaiting even more eagerly. That package contained a series of articles photocopied for me at the ANS. I was practically giddy when it arrived, there's just something about delving into a new (to me) topic that is just so exciting. At present I am focusing both my reading and my collecting on the stylistic changes in portraiture over time. This has been a deft attempt by me to create a collection that can be optimized for variety and quality while still maintaining some coherence. My interest started in trying to see how the beautiful and realistic portraits of early Rome turned into the impersonal facing images on early Byzantine coinage. Luckily there is some literature including an entire series done on style by Wayne Sayles in 1990. I have to admit that the "ugly" Byzantine coins become much more interesting when one understands the history and reasons behind the changes in the portraiture. Now I just have to get some back issues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmarotta Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 On a daily basis, I am far more likely to dump an article to the printer and put it in a folder (or save it to disk and put it in a folder) than I am to buy an object. Without the knowledge, the objects are just "stuff." The imagery can be compelling. But if you do not know who made it or why, there is no difference between these two objects: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/luca...lbenkian_81.jpg http://www.coinfacts.com/nickels/buffalo_n...falo_t1_obv.jpg http://www.coinfacts.com/nickels/buffalo_n...falo_t1_rev.jpg In fact, without the history, you cannot understand why they are so similar. This nice old lady could be Mrs. Benjamin Franklin. No one would take her for an unsuccessful horse thief: http://www.michigancoinclub.org/mary_reibey.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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