Lot 4124
Augustus and Julia, Silver Denarius (3.9g) minted at Rome, 13 BC. Bare head of Augustus, right; behind, lituus. Reverse: Diademed and draped bust of Julia, as Diana, right; at shoulder, quiver. RIC-403; BMCRE-l04. Some marks in the flan. Both portraits are remarkable and this example is certainly one of the finest known. Extremely rare. Extremely Fine.
Julia was the only daughter of Augustus and Scribonia. She was brought up strictly by her father and stepmother Livia. According to the Roman biographer Suetonius, Julia was forbidden to say or do anything, either publicly or privately, that could not decently figure in the imperial day-book. When her father discovered Julia's adulteries, he kept her prisoner on the island of Pandataria for five years, and then moved her to Rhegium in Calabria. Nothing would persuade him to forgive her. Whenever Julia's name came up, Augustus would sigh and quote a line from Homer's Iliad: "Ah, never to have married, and childless to have died!" Ultimately, Julia was allowed to die of malnutrition before the end of AD 14.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 20,000.
Wolfen Family Foundation; Ex Numismatic Fine Arts, early 1970s.
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| Realized $29,900 |
