Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. A silvered bronze plaque with beautiful patina and excellent detail including remaining silvering. It depicts a bust of a child wearing a cloak and heavy stole or necklace. The child has hair parted at the center, with a small bun at the top of the head. The plaque's frame is a pattern of punched-out circles and scalloped edges. Silver plating was rarer in the ancient world than gilding; although both silver and gold were placed over bronze pieces because of their lower reactivity to oxygen, silver is more susceptible to bronze oxidation and a thicker coating was required. As with this piece, the bronze oxidation often works its way through the silver, partly destroying it in the process - though some of the silvering on this piece happily remains. Similar pieces have the central bust representing an emperor; this type of plaque may have originally been an ornamental saddle trapping. Size: 3.95" W x 3.9" H (10 cm x 9.9 cm); 6" H (15.2 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#133292

Two corners have tiny losses from their edges. Pretty teal green patina with some of the silvering remaining.