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Empress Faustina

Medal
last quarter of 15th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a bronze medal made by the Medallist of the Roman Emperors active in Milan in the last quarter of the 15th century. The obverse of this medal shows the Empress Faustina and the reverse shows Antonius Pius and Faustina seated.

Fuastina the younger was the wife of Marcus Aurelius, and the daughter of Antonius Pius and Faustina the Elder. Emperor Antoninus Pius, whose full title was: Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius. He was born Sept. 19, 86AD at Lanuvium, Latium and died on March 7 161AD at Lorium, Etruria. He was Roman emperor from 138–161AD. Of Gallic origins, he served as consul (120) before being assigned judicial administrative duties in Italy. He later governed the province of Asia (c. 134). He became an adviser to Hadrian and in 138 was made Hadrian's heir. On accession he had the deceased emperor declared a god; for such dutiful acts he was named Pius (“Pious”). He quelled rebellions in Britain and other provinces and built the Antonine Wall.
Mild-mannered and capable, he was the fourth of the “five good emperors” who guided the empire through an 84-year period (96–180) of internal peace and prosperity.

Object details

Category
Object type
TitleEmpress Faustina (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Medal, bronze, the Empress Faustina, by the Medallist of the Roman Emperors, Italian (Milan), the last quarter of the 15th century
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 11.5cm
Object history
Purchased in Paris (Piot sale, 1864, 25-30 April, £2 16s.).
Subject depicted
Summary
This is a bronze medal made by the Medallist of the Roman Emperors active in Milan in the last quarter of the 15th century. The obverse of this medal shows the Empress Faustina and the reverse shows Antonius Pius and Faustina seated.

Fuastina the younger was the wife of Marcus Aurelius, and the daughter of Antonius Pius and Faustina the Elder. Emperor Antoninus Pius, whose full title was: Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius. He was born Sept. 19, 86AD at Lanuvium, Latium and died on March 7 161AD at Lorium, Etruria. He was Roman emperor from 138–161AD. Of Gallic origins, he served as consul (120) before being assigned judicial administrative duties in Italy. He later governed the province of Asia (c. 134). He became an adviser to Hadrian and in 138 was made Hadrian's heir. On accession he had the deceased emperor declared a god; for such dutiful acts he was named Pius (“Pious”). He quelled rebellions in Britain and other provinces and built the Antonine Wall.
Mild-mannered and capable, he was the fourth of the “five good emperors” who guided the empire through an 84-year period (96–180) of internal peace and prosperity.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1864. Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 44
  • Hill, George Francis. A Corpus of Italian Medals of the Renaissance, Before Cellini, Volume I, Text. London: British Museum, 1930, no. 735
Collection
Accession number
518-1864

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Record createdMarch 25, 2008
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