Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Sestertius - Vitellius|Lucius Vitellius Pater L VITELL CENSOR III S C
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 69 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 26.9 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Laureate and draped bust of Emperor Aulus Vitellius facing right, rendered in high relief with finely detailed hair and a laurel wreath. The bust is shown with paludamentum, the military cloak fastened at the shoulder, conveying imperial authority. The encircling legend reads A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP AVG P M TR P, distributed around the periphery of the flan. The portrait displays the characteristically full, heavy features associated with Vitellius in ancient portraiture. The overall style is consistent with the Julio-Claudian artistic tradition carried into the Year of the Four Emperors. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Lucius Vitellius, father of the emperor, depicted togate and seated left on a sella curulis, his right hand extended toward the foremost of three togate figures standing before him, representing suppliants or recipients of his censorial authority. A second togate figure, also seated, appears behind Lucius Vitellius, completing the ceremonial composition. The scene commemorates Lucius Vitellius's tenure as censor, an exceptionally prestigious office he held three times under Claudius. The legend L VITELL CENSOR III S C appears in the field, with S C (Senatus Consultum) indicating senatorial authorization for the bronze issue. The reverse composition is an exceptional historical tableau, unique among imperial sestertii of the period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information | Log in to see details |