The Age of the Imperial Guptas c10.73

c10.73

With the reign of Kumāragupta I Gupta coinage reaches the highest point of excellence and variety. The reign of Kumāragupta I being also the best period of plastic activity, the coins of this emperor are individual objects of Art. “The majority of Kumāragupta I’s gold coins follow the standard of about 126 grains introduced in Candragupta II’s reign but traces of the early standard survive in the Archer type .... A remarkable uniformity is observable in the specimen of the horseman type, the commonest coinage of the reign; twenty-eight specimens average 125.9 grains ........ The light weight (115 grains) of the ‘Pratāpa’ coin is explained by the traces of the original type below, which show that it is some foreign coin restruck, and the unique elephant-rider coin (wt. 124.¹ grains) is obviously of Kumāragupta’s usual standard.”²