This ancient Roman imago clipeata—or shield portrait—of first Roman emperor Augustus consists of two parts. First, a central disk of silver was fabricated in repoussé and gilded. Second, a circular frame of thicker silver was created to attach the roundel to a backing. Hellenistic Greek and Roman art and literature indicate that such round, framed portraits were used as ritual, military, and personal adornments, as well as political propaganda. TMA’s portrait depicts Caesar Augustus as a deity and was made as a diplomatic gift for a distant and provincial ruler, to remind him of the power and majesty of Rome.

Left: Ancient Roman, Imago Clipeata (Shield Portrait) of Emperor Augustus (Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus) Gilded silver, about A.D. 15-35. Purchased with funds from the Libbey endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, by exchange, 2007.11