Artemide Aste s.r.l.
Auction XLVIII 2 Dec 2017
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Cornelia Supera, wife of Aemilian (253 AD). AE 21 mm. Parion mint, Mysia. Obv. G CORN. SVPERA AVG. Draped bust right, wearing stephane. Rev. C G I H PAR. Genius standing facing, head left, holding patera in extended right hand and cradling cornucopiae in left arm; to left, lighted altar at feet. AE. g. 5.11 RRR. Extremely rare. Black green patina with lighter green overtones. VF.
Like a handful of shadowy figures of Roman history, Gaia Cornelia Supera is known only from coinage, by which we can also determine that she was the wife of the short-lived emperor Aemilian. A study of Aemilian's coinage has shown he produced one brief issue of antoniniani at a Balkan mint – seemingly Viminacium – and had a more substantial coinage of double-denarii at Rome. The Rome mint coinage consisted of three distinctive issues, with only the first including aurei. This is a good indication that he paid an accession bonus to the troops and perhaps secured the loyalty of others, but that sufficient gold was not gathered afterwards to sponsor a second round of payments.
Cornelia Supera's imperial issues consist of double-denarii from two issues – one with a Juno reverse struck at the Balkan mint, and this issue with a Vesta reverse struck at Rome. Both coinages today are quite rare, which would suggest that her Rome mint coins were limited to only one of the six officinae then producing coins for her husband, and that they were struck in only one of the three phases. Provincial coins were also struck on a small scale for Supera, with issues emanating from Parium in Mysia, Julia in Phrygia and Aegae in Cilicia.
(NAC 46, 656 note).
Provenance:
Dr. Busso Peus 398, lot 669.
Triton X, lot 730.
Like a handful of shadowy figures of Roman history, Gaia Cornelia Supera is known only from coinage, by which we can also determine that she was the wife of the short-lived emperor Aemilian. A study of Aemilian's coinage has shown he produced one brief issue of antoniniani at a Balkan mint – seemingly Viminacium – and had a more substantial coinage of double-denarii at Rome. The Rome mint coinage consisted of three distinctive issues, with only the first including aurei. This is a good indication that he paid an accession bonus to the troops and perhaps secured the loyalty of others, but that sufficient gold was not gathered afterwards to sponsor a second round of payments.
Cornelia Supera's imperial issues consist of double-denarii from two issues – one with a Juno reverse struck at the Balkan mint, and this issue with a Vesta reverse struck at Rome. Both coinages today are quite rare, which would suggest that her Rome mint coins were limited to only one of the six officinae then producing coins for her husband, and that they were struck in only one of the three phases. Provincial coins were also struck on a small scale for Supera, with issues emanating from Parium in Mysia, Julia in Phrygia and Aegae in Cilicia.
(NAC 46, 656 note).
Provenance:
Dr. Busso Peus 398, lot 669.
Triton X, lot 730.