Caption

Denarius of Boleslaw III Krzywousty (prince of Poland, ca. 1086–1138), ca. 1125–1138. Obverse: in beaded border, a knight in chain mail thrusting a spearhead into the jaws of an upside-down dragon; a ball under the knight’s right elbow. Reverse: in triple beaded border, an equal-armed (isosceles) cross topped with balls; a ball at the intersection of the arms; radiating balls between the arms (smaller near the center, larger ones—three with a dot). Romanesque style; allegorical scene of the fight between good and evil / fight against pagans; references to martyrs and Saint Adalbert. Coin (denarius), Kraków, Poland; diameter 12.1–12.5 mm; weight 0.46 g.

Credit line

Photo12/Liszt Collection

Reference

LZT26A64_232

License type

Rights managed

Available size

27.0Mb (1.1Mb) / 10.2in x 10.2in / 3071 x 3071 (300dpi)

Keywords

Denarius Boleslaw III Krzywousty prince Poland ca 1086–1138 1125–1138 Obverse beaded border knight chain mail thrusting spearhead jaws upside-down dragon ball under knight’s right elbow Reverse triple beaded border equal-armed isosceles cross topped balls ball intersection arms radiating balls smaller near center larger ones three dot Romanesque style allegorical scene fight good evil pagans references martyrs Saint Adalbert Coin denarius Kraków diameter 12.1–12.5 mm weight 0.46 g small circular metallic object raised central design resembling cross rounded ends surrounded concentric rings small raised dots set plain white background visible colors include shades silver gray hints darker gray.