Bronze Medallion Depicting The Emperor Vespasian. Italien School, 19th Century

ITALIAN SCHOOL, 19TH CENTURY

Bronze relief depicting the Emperor Vespasian

Cast in patinated bronze with a brown patina, depicting the emperor in left profile, crowned with laurel leaves. The portrait rests above a scroll bearing the inscription “IMR VESEASIAN X”. The whole is presented in an oval ebonised wood frame.

Dimensions including frame:
Height: 26 cm; Width: 23 cm.

This bronze medallion belongs to the tradition of Roman imperial portraits sought after by connoisseurs and collectors of the Grand Tour.

The profile of Vespasian follows the conventions of Roman imperial iconography. The inscription, whose spelling presents an unusual variant, appears to refer to the emperor Vespasian, the ninth reigning emperor, though traditionally placed tenth in the famous sequence of the "Twelve Caesars" by the historian Suetonius if one includes Julius Caesar as the first in the line. 

The spelling “VESEASIAN”, rather than the usual Latin form VESPASIANUS, may reflect a workshop interpretation or the adaptation of an existing model.