Naville Numismatics Ltd.
Auction 67 1 Aug 2021
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Domitian, 81-96 Sestertius Rome circa 88, Æ 35.50 mm., 25.23 g.
Laureate head r. Rev. Domitian standing r., raising r. hand dictating prayers to three matrons, veiled, kneeling l.; in the background tetrastyle temple. C 80. RIC 610.
Rare brown tone About Very Fine.
Of all the coins issued for the Saecular Games, those of Domitian are by far the most elaborate. The richness and variety of reverse types suggests this emperor took a personal interest in promoting the games. He also found value in preserving the record of their occurrence on the durable medium of coinage. In this case the inscription, LVD SAEC FEC, abbreviates ludos saeculares fecit, a proclamation that Domitian caused the games to be celebrated.The most impressive designs for this series appear on bronzes, such as this sestertius, which was struck in the last quarter of A.D. 88, in concert with the staging of the games in October of that year. On this piece a tetrastyle temple, shown at an angle, dominates the background. The emperor, as pontifex maximus (and perhaps specifically as the quindecemvir sacris faciundis) raises his right hand as he annunciates a prayer before three matrons who kneel before him.The unusually high level of artistry of this series suggests that Domitian wished to showcase the talents of Rome's engravers while commemorating the occasion. The artist who cut this die breathed life into a scene that under a less-gifted hand would have suffered. The artist achieves a most difficult feat by not weighing down the design with an exaggerated sense of formality, yet not at the expense of preserving the sacred nature of the ritual.
Laureate head r. Rev. Domitian standing r., raising r. hand dictating prayers to three matrons, veiled, kneeling l.; in the background tetrastyle temple. C 80. RIC 610.
Rare brown tone About Very Fine.
Of all the coins issued for the Saecular Games, those of Domitian are by far the most elaborate. The richness and variety of reverse types suggests this emperor took a personal interest in promoting the games. He also found value in preserving the record of their occurrence on the durable medium of coinage. In this case the inscription, LVD SAEC FEC, abbreviates ludos saeculares fecit, a proclamation that Domitian caused the games to be celebrated.The most impressive designs for this series appear on bronzes, such as this sestertius, which was struck in the last quarter of A.D. 88, in concert with the staging of the games in October of that year. On this piece a tetrastyle temple, shown at an angle, dominates the background. The emperor, as pontifex maximus (and perhaps specifically as the quindecemvir sacris faciundis) raises his right hand as he annunciates a prayer before three matrons who kneel before him.The unusually high level of artistry of this series suggests that Domitian wished to showcase the talents of Rome's engravers while commemorating the occasion. The artist who cut this die breathed life into a scene that under a less-gifted hand would have suffered. The artist achieves a most difficult feat by not weighing down the design with an exaggerated sense of formality, yet not at the expense of preserving the sacred nature of the ritual.