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Roman copper alloy plaque depicting Victory
Bronze plaque decorated with Victory carrying a trophy of arms. 1st century A.D. Substantially complete flat panel which appears originally to have been of trapezoidal, slightly asymmetrical, form. The original edge survives in part on all four sides and is slightly turned over in a way which may suggest that it had once been attached to a backing plate, but no trace of this remains. There are two punched holes near the upper edge, but in the absence of others around the edge, these are not necessarily an original means of attachment. On the back are extensive traces of a thin, silvery metallic coating, probably the remains of lead-tin solder used to fill the raised parts of the design, in order to give strength to what would otherwise have been a very delicate object. In places this metallic coating extends onto the flat areas, and rises well proud of its plane, showing that the sheet cannot have been very tightly matched to any backing. The front face shows no sign of ever having received a plating of silver or tin. The main parts of the design were worked up in repoussé, and the finer detail chased and punched from the front, with particular care being taken to sharpen up the edges of raised areas both with a thin scriber and a broad edged tool to push the surrounding metal back to the flat. The decoration consists of a winged Victory bearing an anthropomorphic tropaeum, set on a bare ground. It is executed to a high standard, and much attention has been given to the overall balance of the composition. Victory, in a frontal pose, wears a loose-fitting chiton, clasped at the shoulders. This is gathered beneath the breasts with a simple knotted tie-cord, and a second girdle is hidden beneath the billowing folds of an over fall at the hip. Her head is modestly down turned and, despite damage to the front of the head, it can be seen that the strongly-waved hair is parted at the centre, with a roll of locks above the brow, and there is a hint that the hair is drawn up into a bun. The trophy takes the usual form of a manikin made up of a cruciform structure decked with armour to lend it human appearance. It is much scaled down in proportion, made askew to its shaft, and appears almost to be tucked into the corner so as to leave prominence to the Victory. It comprises helmet, muscle-cuirass (with pteryges), and opposed pairs of oval and trapezoidal shields; the flared mouths of two trumpets project upwards from behind the shields, and markings on the face of the trapezoidal shield may be meant to be another. The helmet is fitted with a broad, peaked brow-plate with scrolled terminals, and cut-away cheek-pieces (bucculae); two faintly scribed lines falling from a central plume are presumably meant to be a horse-hair crest. Throughout there is a sophisticated use of high and low relief. Both the trophy and the chest of the figure are left shallow so as to concentrate attention on the head, which, being most highly raised (8-9mm), forms the natural focus. Also the left leg raised in higher relief than the right in order to accentuate the swing of the hips
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Site Name: Sandygate, Caerleon
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