Otacilia Severa Portrait OTD

[Minos]

Wouldn't want that Pietas to slap me in the face

[slokind]

Before we get caught up in that hand, may I say that his is the nicest Otacilia portrait that I can remember seeing.  Pat L.

[wandigeaux (1940 - 2010)]

It is a very nice portrait.  I am NOT going to say anything about that hand!  George Spradling

[Steve Minnoch]

Before we get caught up in that hand

Yes, her left hand is noticeably tiny, isn't it

Steve

[gavignano]

Pietas lost her right arm in a temple accident - this is her new artifical arm - the rare "Prosthesis of Pietas". Sorry.

[Ardatirion]

I think this coin clearly shows that the Romans invented the puffy foam hand.

[moonmoth]

It shows that the "three fingers" technique used in almost all modern animations was invented much earlier than I thought.

[Numerianus]

On this antoninianus the arm of Pietas is also quite awkward.

[Potator II]

Hi,

This Otacilia portrait is fantastic.

On this antoninianus the arm of Pietas is also quite awkward.

And so is the right arm of Valentinianus on the reverse of this AE2 :

AE2 struck in Constantinople, 4th officina
D N VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, Helmeted, diademed, cuirassed bust of Valentinian, holding spear in right hand
GLORIA RO-MANORUM, Valentinain standing on a galley, driven by a victory, Wreath in field, CON delta at exergue
4.93 gr
Ref : Cohen #22, RC #4161, LRBC #2151

Regards
Potator

[Goodies]

Hi @Potator,

Maybe a strange idea, but could'nt that be a gauntlet ? It's a legionary..

See Google images, eg http://images.google.nl/images?um=1&hl=nl&q=Roman+armour+gauntlets

For me this is speculatoin. Only medieval examples, I actually don't know if these large metal gloves existed in Roman times, or were part of (Gladiator) armour (?)

Of course Pietas does not wear armour. As for Otacilia above, I found references in CoinArchives that Pietas holds a perfume bottle in her right hand.

This is not an attribution (reverse lettering differs)  but this coin shows a similar ''hand'', the French author of the description refers to it as a bottle of incense. The elongated shaped incense bottle is standing upright in the hand, seems to be a finger.


Dupondius. Similaire au précédent, le buste sur un croissant. Rv. PIETAS AVGVSTAE / S-C Pietas, vêtue d'un chiton long, debout de face, la tête voilée tournée à g.; de la gauche, elle tient une boîte à encens, la droite est levée. 8,20 g. RIC 94, 205c. C. 33. Rare

Source of the image: Hess 2007


Lx

[Potator II]

Hi @Potator,

Maybe a strange idea, but could'nt that be a gauntlet ? It's a legionary..

Hi Goodies,

Might be, I don't know. Probably specialists here could say....

Regards
Potator

[Tiathena]

*
 
   “Maybe a strange idea, but could'nt that be a gauntlet ? It's a legionary..”

   I’m not one of those ‘specialists,’ but –
 
   I’m pretty sure gauntlets are much later – Medieval – 12th or 13th century, and introduced as a full-fledged ‘gloved’ gauntlet when working in strong and fine enough chain-mail made it practicable – and using heavy slashing weapons or lances was the norm.
 
  Even if Romans could have worked out practicable ‘gloves’ in chain-mail, I somehow find it hard to imagine being anything but a hindrance using the gladius.
 
  Best,
  Tia
 
*
 

[curtislclay]

Pietas merely raises her right hand, and holds the open box of incense in her LEFT hand, as the French description correctly says.

[arizonarobin]

A very lovely portrait, and a very interesting hand.