Roman Gilded Silver / Iron Medallion - Aristocratic Man

**Originally Listed At $1200**

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A beautiful iron medallion, wrapped along the obverse in an elegant sheet of hammered silver (88%) which has been covered in a thin layer of gilding (8-9% gold). The circular composition has sloping peripheries accentuated with a quartet of raised hemispherical rivet heads, an indented ring surrounding a band of stippling, and a central incised face of an aristocratic man. The elderly visage is presented in profile with one ovoid eye, a bulbous nose, thin lips surrounding a gaping mouth, and a shaggy coiffure wrapped with a square-patterned headband. Traces of the original rivets are still visible along the iron verso. An opulent example of fine Roman artistry! Size: 1.875" W x 1.8" H (4.8 cm x 4.6 cm); quality of silver: 88%; quality of gilding: 8-9%; total weight: 26.9 grams.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Neil Phillips collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1980s

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#146628
Condition Report: Light abrasions to obverse and peripheries, with softening to finer details comprising the face, with light fading to gilding, minor encrustations along both sides, and extensive oxidation to iron verso commensurate with age, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits and fine patina throughout.