Barbarians on Roman Imperial Coins and Sculpture

Many studies dealing with Roman imperial art take into consideration Roman imperial coin types. The importance of these types in interpreting the meaning of extant works of art is generally accepted, but neither the extent nor the limits of numismatic contribution to the study of art history of the imperial period has yet been clearly defined.
That many official reliefs, statues and paintings of the empire influenced coin types is now a matter of common knowledge. It has been recognized by both archaeologists and numismatists. How far this influence went and which types can be considered direct derivatives from sculpture or paintings is still uncertain although Regling, Strack and others emphasized the changes which are to be expected in the passage of certain motifs from sculpture and paintings to coins: abbreviations, liberty in representing the attributes, etc.