| Heritage World Coin Auctions > NYINC Signature Sale 3113 | Auction date: 8 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 31067 Price realized: 6,000 USD (Approx. 5,470 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients Galla Placidia, Western Roman Empire (AD 421-450). AV solidus (21mm, 4.45 gm, 5h) NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 5/5. Rome, Group II, AD 441-450. GALLA PLA-CIDIA AVG, pearl-diademed, draped bust of Galla Placidia right, seen from front, wearing beaded necklace and earring, hair elaborately weaved with long plait up the back of head and tucked under diadem, crowned with wreath by hand of God reaching down from above / IMP•XXXXII•COS•-XVII•P•P•, Constantinopolis enthroned left, left foot on prow, globus cruciger in outstretched right hand, grounded scepter in left; shield on ground to right, star in left field, COMOB in exergue. RIC X -, cf. 305 (five pellets in legend). This rare treasure unveils a tranquil portrait of the empress, delicately etched on a flan adorned with luminous fields, enriched by whispers of amber toning. The gentle play of light across the bright expanses intertwines with the warm amber hues, lending an aura of timeless elegance to the sovereign's tranquil visage. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica, Auction 84 (20 May 2015), lot 1297; Künker, Auction 104 (27 September 2005), lot 650. The daughter of Theodosius I, Galla Placidia was born in AD 392 and proved to be a much more formidable character than her weakling brothers, Honorius and Arcadius. She would need such fortitude for, following the siege of Rome in AD 408-410, she was captured and held hostage by Visigoths. Whether by coercion or choice, she soon wed Atualf, son and successor of King Alaric. Perhaps she hoped the wedding would spur a modus vivendi between Roman and Barbarian, but if so her hopes were dashed by the murder of Ataulf in AD 416. A swap of hostages returned her to the Western Roman court, and in AD 417 Honorius married her off to the elderly general Constantius III, later briefly co-Emperor of the West. Although the union was not a happy one, it did produce a son and daughter. After the death of Constantius in AD 421, Honorius began to show a strange, incestuous attraction to his sister and she fled to the East Roman court of Theodosius II. When Honorius died in AD 423 and the Western throne was usurped by Johannes, Placidia returned with a sizeable army to depose the usurper in favor of her five-year-old son, who was duly installed as Valentinian III. She remained in Italy, ruling the Western Empire as regent until her son came of age, and played a major role in political and religious affairs until her death in AD 450. Her mausoleum in Ravenna, Italy, stands as a testament to her influence, adorned with magnificent mosaics reflecting the Christian faith she devoutly followed. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-galla-placidia-western-roman-empire-ad-421-450-av-solidus-21mm-445-gm-5h-ngc-choice-au-5-5-5-5/a/3113-31067.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3113-01082024 HID02906262019 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 10000-12000 USD |  |
