Coined & Two-drachma coin Representing Famous Statue of Poseidon

Coined, 2022

Zoë Coleman

WhatsApp sticker collection printed on paper

I decided to use the coin collection as my object of inspiration. Coins in the ancient world were, of course, a form of currency with utilitarian value. But they also had a political and artistic dimension. Firstly, because they were distributed so widely, often political figures would endorse and fund the minting and inspire the art on the coins. The imagery of famous politicians and important people was powerful; it represented the possibility of dissemination of propaganda to a large audience. Secondly, coins tended towards artistic imagery even in numismatics. My particular object of inspiration was a coin representing a famous statue of Poseidon, rather than the deity himself, which signals a reverence of the classical art styles and the perpetuity of art, even when that art is considered traditional and outdated.

This object got me thinking about what exactly the modern-day equivalent would be: something political, artistic, functional, and widely circulated. I settled on WhatsApp stickers. Much like memes, these are often political, artistic, and widely circulated but they also are functional in online conversations. They are used as a form of a response, and whilst they do not have economic value, which is fungible but singular, they also have a form of social currency. Thus, my collection of stickers, named Coined, are inspired by classical art, but are aimed to be used in a contemporary fashion online. I used a variety of applications to create the images, including Sticker.ly, Eraser, and Instagram and pulled inspiration from many Ancient Greek artistic practices, specifically the imagery on ancient coins. Avant-garde and cutting-edge, these stickers may not seem to be in conversation with numismatics, but the parallels are striking.

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Two-drachma coin Representing Famous Statue of Poseidon, ca. 525 - 475 BCE.

Greek

Incuse Silver

RISD Museum, Museum Appropriation Fund 40.015.130

This two-drachma coin portrays a nude Poseidon, carrying his signature trident, a cloth wrapped around his arms, and a head piece. He has a beard and long hair, and looks muscular. He holds his trident above his head, the prongs pointed out towards where he is looking, as if engaging in battle. His full body is shown from the side. “JOW” is written next to Poseidon. The figure of Poseidon juts out of the coin, giving the image a 3D effect. The reverse side of the coin displays the reverse image of Poseidon, showing his back, the back of his head, the back of the trident, the part of the cloth that was hidden on the front, and the other side of his legs. There is a wreath of leaves circling the perimeter of the coin. This side of the coin seems rougher, with less obvious details, perhaps because this side of the coin is less 3D, and in fact, slightly concave around the figure of Poseidon.

The coin was forged as a form of currency out of incuse silver, probably circa 525 – 475 BCE. It was exchanged for goods and services in the ancient world, and probably travelled through many hands, many states, and potentially many countries. Interestingly, the coin represents the reverence of artistic value that surpasses its utilitarian function. The coin depicts a famous statue of Poseidon, rather than Poseidon himself, indicating the trend towards more artistic imagery in the forgery of Greek numismatics. Whilst the style of the famous work of art was considered archaic, and thus no longer employed when the coin was minted, the style endures through the artist of the coin’s representation of the sculpture.