Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/04/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Adam, Maybe this is somewhere close to an answer to your questions. <http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n10a13.html> provides some background on the earlier of the two coins. That article in turn links to one acquired by Princeton University by the numismatic curator, Alan Stahl. For me photography enables seeing. Probably to old LUG hands that is quite obvious, I don't know. Technically <http://photos.csd.net/justinian_ii.html> turned out to be pretty easy to photograph as the surface is not highly reflective. Using a beam splitter is common for coins. Having a permanent photo workshop is essential, to set up and adjust everything from scratch is daunting. <http://photos.csd.net/justinian_ii_2a.html> is highly reflective and required numerous attempts at getting the image, at this point it is at the stage of a somewhat uneasy truce, perhaps 12-20 hours overall, spread out over a recent week or so. Yes, interesting artwork produced at a tumultuous time in history. Best, John On 4/3/2012 11:17 PM, Adam Bridge wrote: > Could you talk a little about the decisions you made in photographing this > coin? > > To my eye that's just world-class work such as I'd see in a very good > museum catalog. > > And how did you come to make these images? > > I find the artwork on both coins to be incredibly interesting. > > Thank you for sharing these along with the context. > > Adam > > On Apr 3, 2012, at 11:53 AM, John Nebel wrote: > >> Rabs, >> >> ... an ancient Sinar with a macro lens, 10 years old, an aeon for >> electronics,<http://www.ancientmoney.org/about/sinar_cp.html>. >> >> Best, >> >> John >> >> >> On 4/3/2012 12:28 PM, Mark Rabiner wrote: >>> Do did you take these pictures? With a macro? >>> >>> - - from my iRabs. >>> Mark Rabiner >>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/springdays/ >>> >>> >>>> From: "John D. Nebel"<john.nebel at csdco.com> >>>> Reply-To: Leica Users Group<lug at leica-users.org> >>>> Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:53:29 -0600 >>>> To: Leica Users Group<lug at leica-users.org> >>>> Subject: [Leica] IMG: Ancient portraits of Christ >>>> >>>> Greetings! >>>> >>>> In 692 AD at the Quinisext Council in Constantinople, Canon LXXXII >>>> established, >>>> according to the epitome, "Thou shalt not paint a lamb for the type of >>>> Christ, >>>> but himself." The Byzantine emperor was Justinian II, and the empire's >>>> coinage >>>> consequently depicted Christ as a human figure. >>>> >>>> <http://photos.csd.net/justinian_ii.html> was minted during Justinian >>>> II's >>>> first >>>> reign. This portrait of Christ misses the mark "himself" as it is >>>> likely >>>> based >>>> on the Greek sculptor's, Phidias's statue of Zeus from Olympia, made >>>> about a >>>> millennium before and one of the wonders of the ancient world. >>>> >>>> Mouse over the coin's image to see the reverse, or click for a larger >>>> image. >>>> This coin and the next are about 19mm diameter, 4gms mass. The coin's >>>> reverse >>>> depicts Justinian II. >>>> >>>> The Phidias image of Christ appears to have become the standard as one >>>> can see >>>> from a WP image of a wall painting at Hagia Sophia made centuries later, >>>> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Byzantinischer_Mosaizist_um_1020_001.jpg> >>>> >>>> During Justinian II's second reign another coin was minted, perhaps a >>>> more >>>> realist depiction of >>>> Christ,<http://photos.csd.net/justinian_ii_2a.html>. On >>>> the reverse, Justinian II is on the left, Tiberius on the right. >>>> Similar >>>> mouse >>>> functions on the image. >>>> >>>> C&C welcome! >>>> >>>> Best, >>>> >>>> John >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Leica Users Group. >>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information