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Secondary sourcePainting

Portrait of Emperor Justinian

Johann Friedrich Böck

A later engraving imagining Justinian I as a crowned, robed ruler holding a globe, made long after his lifetime.

This later engraving imagines Justinian's appearance, showing how he was remembered long after his reign.

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Engraving of a standing male figure in a long draped robe and crown, holding a globe, with a classical balustraded terrace and building behind. Caption below reads: Effigies Imp. Iustiniani ex Alemanni Notis ad Procopii historiam arcanam p. 28.
Johann Friedrich Böck, Portrait of Emperor Justinian. Leipzig University Library, Germany.

About this source

What it is

This is a printed engraving showing Emperor Justinian standing in a long robe and crown, holding a globe, with a classical terrace behind him. It was made by Johann Friedrich Böck and is held today by Leipzig University Library in Germany. The caption links the image to notes on Procopius's secret history of Justinian's reign.

Why it matters

Justinian ruled the Eastern Roman Empire centuries before this print was made, so the image does not show his real appearance. Instead it reveals how later European printmakers and scholars imagined and presented famous rulers from the ancient and medieval past, often using symbols like the globe to suggest imperial power.

Look closer

  • What symbols in the image suggest Justinian's power and authority?
  • Why might an artist centuries later choose to depict an emperor this way?
  • What does the reference to Procopius's writings in the caption tell us about how this image was made?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Justinian I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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