Lot 70 - Numismatic Auction 8

Aelia Flaccilla, 379-386/8. Solidus, 383-386, Constantinopolis. Obv. AEL FLAC-CILLA AVG. Draped bust right, with elaborate headdress, ... Read more
Starting price:
100.000,00 CHF

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Lot status:
Auction closed

Description

Aelia Flaccilla, 379-386/8. Solidus, 383-386, Constantinopolis. Obv. AEL FLAC-CILLA AVG. Draped bust right, with elaborate headdress, necklace and mantle. Rev. SALVS REI-PVBLICAE B. In exergue, CONOB. Victory seated right on throne, writing Christogram on shield held on small column. RIC 72; Cohen 1; Depeyrot 40/1; Vagi 3707. Gold. 4.49 g. Extremely rare, one of the most beautiful specimens known.
Nice UNC

Ex. Bank Leu Auction 77, 11 may 2000, lot 713.

Aelia Flaccilla is one of those princesses of the Late Roman Empire to reach a destiny far more elevated than her humble provincial origins would have given her. Spaniard like her husband, the Emperor Theodosius, she followed him to Constantinople and gave him two sons, who would later succeed him as the rulers of the future empires of the East and the West: Arcadius followed by Honorius born six years later. From then on, she endeavored to give her role of Augusta a more important political dimension. She became the first Empress since Helen, Fausta and Theodora to be represented on coins, thus glorifying her attachment to Christianity and her ecumenical values, as well as the greatness of the Empire. The coins of Aelia Flaccilla recall those of the Constantinian period when, for the first time, the Christian religion was tolerated, but not yet accepted. Pious and generous towards the poor, she would for the following centuries, be the role model for future Roman and Byzantine princesses to come.

Aelia Flaccilla est l’une de ces princesses du Bas-Empire romain à connaître un destin bien éloigné de ce que ses origines provinciales auraient dû lui apporter. Espagnole comme son époux, l’empereur Théodose, elle le suit à Constantinople et lui donne les deux fils qui lui succèderont à la tête des futurs empires d’Orient et d’Occident : Arcadius puis, six ans plus tard, Honorius. Dès lors, elle s’attache à rendre à sa fonction d’Augusta une dimension politique importante. Elle est la première impératrice depuis Hélène, Fausta et Théodora à se faire représenter sur des monnaies, glorifiant ainsi son attachement au christianisme et à ses valeurs oecuméniques comme à la grandeur de l’Empire. Les monnaies d’Aelia Flaccilla rappellent celles de l’époque constantinienne où, pour la première fois, la religion chrétienne est tolérée, faute d’être admise. Pieuse et généreuse à l’égard des pauvres, elle est pendant les siècles suivants un modèle pour les princesses romaines et byzantines.
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Timetable

Pre-bidding - End
04 07 2017 17:00 CEST

Room auction - Start
05 07 2017 15:00 CEST