Galla Placidia

[VALTERI]

E' attribuito ai Visigoti, un importante monile in oro che contorna, incastonandolo, un notevole solido in oro al nome di Galla Placidia .

Sarà il 15 Agosto in vendita Heritage 3118 al n. 33086 .

[Vel Saties]

ANTIQUITIES. Visigoths. In the name of Galla Placidia (AD 421-450). AV solidus (22mm, 6h) in contemporary gold frame. Choice AU. "Ravenna", ca. AD 425. D N GALLA PLA-CIDIA P F AVG, triple pearl-diademed, draped bust of Galla Placidia right, seen from front, six-pointed star on right shoulder, wearing triple-beaded necklace and earring, hair elaborately weaved with long plait up the back of head and tucked under diadem / SALVS REI-PVBLICAE, empress, crowned and nimbate, mappa in right hand, left hand on knee, enthroned facing, throne arms crowned by globes; R-V across fields, COMOB in exergue. RIC X -. Depeyrot -. A fascinating specimen, meticulously modeled after an unpublished reverse type for Placidia. Ex Rudolf Rack Collection. The daughter of Theodosius I, Galla Placidia was born in AD 392 and proved to be a much more formidable character than her weakling brothers, Honorius and Arcadius. She would need such fortitude for, following the siege of Rome in AD 408-410, she was captured and held hostage by Visigoths. Whether by coercion or choice, she soon wed Atualf, son and successor of King Alaric. Perhaps she hoped the wedding would spur a modus vivendi between Roman and Barbarian, but if so her hopes were dashed by the murder of Ataulf in AD 416. A swap of hostages returned her to the Western Roman court, and in AD 417 Honorius married her off to the elderly general Constantius III, later briefly co-Emperor of the West. Although the union was not a happy one, it did produce a son and daughter. In AD 421, Honorius finally elevated his brother-in-law Constantius to Augustus at his urging, making Galla Placidia Augusta. Her son Valentinian III was thus effectively designated as the heir to the throne. However, on AD 2 September 421, Constantius III died of pleurisy shortly before he could embark on a campaign against the Eastern Roman Empire, which did not recognize his elevation to emperor. After her husband's death, some historians, like Olympiodorus, on whom Zosimus relied, supported an incestuous relationship with her unmarried brother Honorius, which led to a conflict involving Gothic mercenaries, Galla Placidia's former subjects, and Roman soldiers. It was evident that the unclear succession issue had caused the conflict since the childless Honorius seemed to have refused to make his nephew Valentinian the official heir by elevating him to Caesar or Augustus. In this situation, influential figures aligned either with Honorius or with Galla and her son. The military commander Flavius Castinus opposed them, while the comes Africae Bonifatius supported them. Galla Placidia finally fell out of favor and lost the title of Augusta. Jutta Meischner speculates that Honorius, who had been dominated by Constantius for a decade, sought to free himself from this domination. At the beginning of AD 423, Galla left Ravenna with her two children and sought refuge in Constantinople, where her nephew Theodosius II had succeeded his father Arcadius. Shortly after Galla's departure, Honorius died on AD 27 August 423, without leaving a successor. After a four-month interregnum in the Western Empire, a court official named Johannes was proclaimed emperor, and Theodosius II appointed his cousin Valentinian as nobilissimus and betrothed him to his two-year-old daughter Licinia Eudoxia. In the fall of AD 424, Valentinian was appointed Caesar in Thessalonica before Theodosius sent him, along with his mother, who had been reinstated as Augusta, and his sister, with a strong military force under the Eastern Roman commander Aspar, to Italy to preserve the legitimate dynasty. After a brief civil war, Johannes was overthrown by his own generals and delivered to Galla Placidia. The usurper was cruelly executed. On 23 October 425, Valentinian III, at the age of six, was proclaimed Augustus of the West in Rome. It was, perhaps, on this occasion this highly decorative piece was produced. Galla Placidia remained in Italy, ruling the Western Empire as regent until her son came of age, and played a major role in political and religious affairs until her death in AD 450. Her mausoleum in Ravenna, Italy, stands as a testament to her influence, adorned with magnificent mosaics reflecting the Christian faith she devoutly followed. The present medallion of Galla Placidia is a typical highly barbarized work from the 5th century AD, reflected in its manufacturing and style in pieces from the Velp Treasure discovered in 1715. Cf. Brenot, Claude; Loriot, Xavier. Coined Gold. III, Findings of Gold Coins in the Roman West (proceedings of the round table of December 4 and 5, 1987 in Paris). Paris: Editions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1992, p. Brenot, C. Metzger, "Findings of Money Jewelry in the Roman West," pp. 313-371: pp. 341-342.; and Numismatic Magazine. Paris, 1883. pp. 70-91 and 599. With a total weight of 20.59 gm and a diameter of 45mm, it corresponds to 4-1/2 solidi. A small deviation within tolerance due to two missing beads in the pearl circle, slight wear marks, and accounting for the suspension hoop. The soldering technique and materials, as analyzed by RFA and microscope, are entirely consistent with works from the 5th century AD. The pendant, like the finds from Velp, was not worn and was created as an honor medallion, used by its bearer or owner as a status symbol and for veneration. The suspension loop was likely added contemporaneously. This is the third example known and the only one in private ownership. This medallion comes from the estate of the well-known antique and art collector, Rudolf Rack, from Bad Nauheim, who received it as a wedding gift from his father, who came from East Prussia, to buy his first furnishings with the gold. However, its beauty and art-historical value prompted him to collect antiques and art objects. Rudolf Rack died in 2022 at the age of 83, leaving behind a large collection and renown in the numismatic world. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved