Caption

Denarius, Boleslaw III Krzywousty (prince of Poland; 1086–1138). Obverse: in a beaded border, a knight in chain mail thrusting a spearhead into the jaws of a dragon turned upside down. Reverse: in a triple beaded border, an isosceles cross topped with balls (one with a dot); at the intersection of the arms a ball; between the arms a sun; one arm intersects the other at approximately 1/3 of its length. Allegorical imagery referencing martyrs, knights, dragons, fight against pagans, and the fight between good and evil; Romanesque style; motifs include spearhead(s), spears, equal-armed cross, chain mail, jaws. Probably dated ca. 1125–1138, Kraków, Poland. Coin (denarius), diameter ~12.9–13.5 mm, weight 0.55 g.

Credit line

Photo12/Liszt Collection

Reference

LZT26A63_108

License type

Rights managed

Available size

27.0Mb (1.2Mb) / 10.2in x 10.2in / 3071 x 3071 (300dpi)

Keywords

Denarius Boleslaw III Krzywousty prince Poland 1086–1138 Obverse beaded border knight chain mail thrusting spearhead jaws dragon turned upside down Reverse triple beaded border isosceles cross topped balls dot intersection arms ball sun arm intersects approximately 1 3 length Allegorical imagery referencing martyrs knights dragons fight pagans good evil Romanesque style motifs include s spears equal-armed cross chain mail dated ca 1125–1138 Kraków Coin denarius diameter ~12.9–13.5 mm weight 0.55 g single round metallic object raised central cross- design rounded nodes surrounded concentric ridged rings small raised dots resting plain white background visible colors silver gray hints warm yellowish tones.