Bernard de Montfaucon, Roman Trophies and Victory Coins with Trajan's Column Victory, 1722, Engraving

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This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, a double page folding plate on roman trophies. At either side stands … Read more This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, a double page folding plate on roman trophies. At either side stands a large trophy: a helmet and a cloak or a scale armor cuirass set up on a post, hung with long hexagonal shields and oval shields, with winged boys at the base. The left trophy has a crested helmet, quivers and an animal's head below; at the right a draped female figure stands at the center of the base. At the top center a relief shows a winged victory writing on a shield set on a pillar, between two trophies of armor and heaps of shields. The rest of the sheet holds more than forty coins and oval gems, most showing trophies, victories and seated captives. The relief at the top is captioned "trajan's pillar", that is, trajan's column in rome. Both large trophies are captioned "bellori", seven further coins carry "bellori", and four gems are captioned "maffei". Coin legends include spqr optimo principi, vic dac, vic ger, tr pot cos iiii pp, germania svbacta imp vi cos iii, de germ, de sarm, secvritas pvblica, senatvs popvlvsqve romanvs, dacia avgvsti and dac cap. The figures are numbered from 1 to 20. The corners read "vol iv" at foot left, "plate 31" at foot right and "page 93" at top right. The plate comes from the fourth volume of antiquity explained, and represented in sculptures, the english translation by david humphreys of the work of bernard de montfaucon (1655 to 1741), a french benedictine monk and scholar. His l'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures appeared in paris in 1719, and this edition was printed in london by j. Tonson and j. Watts in 1722. Volume four deals with war, including triumphs, trophies and military crowns. Montfaucon drew together figures copied from ancient monuments, coins, gems and the publications of earlier antiquaries, and engraved the name of each source beside its figure. The two tall trophies frame the sheet symmetrically. Condition: complete sheet, edges straight and without nicks. Light, uneven toning, soiled along all four edges. Foxing and several larger brown spots across much of the margin. Folding plate with the original center fold. This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. See less