Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1 1/2 Schautaler)

A large circular silver piece shows a mounted armored rider at the center, surrounded by a ring of inscriptions and a border of heraldic shields arranged evenly around the rim. The raised lettering and crisp relief suggest a struck or cast coin of the period.

Look closer: The small inscription band just inside the rim is easy to overlook among the shields.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1532

Medium

Silver

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

4000 × 3783 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of The Mark and Lottie Salton Trust, 2021