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A Roman trophy

Print
Third quarter 16th century (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This engraving by an unknown artist from the mid 16th century shows a Roman trophy. The first military trophies consisted of the arms and armour of the conquered hung from a tree. Transformed into stone sculptures by the Romans, they survived to be recorded by 16th century print makers and to inspire designers. This trophy is thought to commemorate the victory of the Roman General, Gaius Marius, over the tribe of the Cimbri, in 102 BC. This trophy is typical in its decoration: shields, swords, helmets and other weapons accompany the angels, centaurs, sphinx, flower decoration and tritons (or mermen).


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleA Roman trophy (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Engraving on paper
Brief description
Anonymous engraver, 1 of 2 plates depicting the trophies of Marius, published by Antonio Lafrery, Italian, third quarter 16th century.
Physical description
Print showing a Roman trophy, with shields, helmets and arrows, with angels supporting the shields and flower ornament
Dimensions
  • Height: 38cm
  • Width: 24.3cm
Style
Gallery label
The full text of the label is as follows: "PRINT: A ROMAN TROPHY Italian, about 1550 Engraving The first military trophies consisted on the arms and armours of the conquered hung up in a tree. Transformed into stone sculptures by the Romans, they survived to be recorded by 16th century printmakers and to inspire designers. This trophy was thought to commemorate the victory of the Roman general, Gaius Marius, over the tribe of the Cimbri (102 BC) 24486.1"
Object history
The first military trophies consisted of the arms and armour of the conquered hung up on a tree. Transformed into stone sculptures by the Romans, they survived to be recorded by 16th century print makers and to inspire designers. This trophy has thought to commemorate the victory of the Roman General, Gaius Marius, over the tribe of the Cimbri (102 BC).
Production
Reissues of earlier plates from mid 16th century
Subjects depicted
Summary
This engraving by an unknown artist from the mid 16th century shows a Roman trophy. The first military trophies consisted of the arms and armour of the conquered hung from a tree. Transformed into stone sculptures by the Romans, they survived to be recorded by 16th century print makers and to inspire designers. This trophy is thought to commemorate the victory of the Roman General, Gaius Marius, over the tribe of the Cimbri, in 102 BC. This trophy is typical in its decoration: shields, swords, helmets and other weapons accompany the angels, centaurs, sphinx, flower decoration and tritons (or mermen).
Bibliographic reference
Miller, E., 16th-century Italian ornament prints in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1999, p. 174 (cat. 51b).
Collection
Accession number
24486:1

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Record createdJuly 14, 2005
Record URL
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