Aureus of Lucius Verus thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 8, The William and Eileen Ruddock Gallery

Aureus of Lucius Verus

Coin
164-169 AD (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The obverse of this coin shows Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla, the second daughter of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Around AD 164 she married Lucius Verus, who was co-Emperor of Rome with Marcus Aurelius, and thereby became Empress of Rome until the death of her husband in 169.
The coins of Lucilla, were struck during the reign of her father Marcus Aurelius: he ruled from 161 to his death in 180. Such coins served both as currency and as a means to spread far and wide the name and image of Imperial rulers.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleAureus of Lucius Verus (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Gold
Brief description
Coin, gold, of Lucilla, Empress of Rome (died ca. 183), Roman, struck ca. 164-169 AD
Physical description
Gold coin. On the obverse: Inscription. Head of Lucilla to right. On the reverse: Inscription. Venus draped, holding an apple and a sceptre.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 2.03cm
  • Weight: 7.27g
Measure for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries 2003
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'LVCILLAE AVG. ANTONINI AVG. F' Reverse: VENVS (Obverse)
  • 'V E NVS' (reverse)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Mr George Salting
Object history
From the Salting bequest.
Historical context
Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla was the second daughter of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger. Around AD 164 she married Lucius Verus, who was co-Emperor of Rome with Marcus Aurelius, and thereby became Empress of Rome until the death of her husband in 169. She later remarried but was exiled to Capri and then executed in about 183 for her part in a plot against her brother Commodus, who had succeeded his father Marcus as Emperor in 182.

The coins of Lucilla - other examples of this type survive, such as one in the Museum of London - were struck during the reign of her father Marcus Aurelius: he ruled from 161 to his death in 180. This coin, then, must have been made during ca. 164-169. These coins served both as ordinary coins and as a means to spread far and wide the name and image of Imperial rulers.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The obverse of this coin shows Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla, the second daughter of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Around AD 164 she married Lucius Verus, who was co-Emperor of Rome with Marcus Aurelius, and thereby became Empress of Rome until the death of her husband in 169.
The coins of Lucilla, were struck during the reign of her father Marcus Aurelius: he ruled from 161 to his death in 180. Such coins served both as currency and as a means to spread far and wide the name and image of Imperial rulers.
Bibliographic reference
'Salting Bequest (A. 70 to A. 1029-1910) / Murray Bequest (A. 1030 to A. 1096-1910)'. In: List of Works of Art Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum (Department of Architecture and Sculpture). London: Printed under the Authority of his Majesty's Stationery Office, by Eyre and Spottiswoode, Limited, East Harding Street, EC, p. 114
Collection
Accession number
A.691-1910

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Record createdNovember 25, 2005
Record URL
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