Galla Placidia, Augusta, 421-450. Solidus (Gold, 22 mm, 4.42 g, 7 h), Ravenna, 425-426. D N GALLA PLA-CIDIA P F AVG Pearl-diademed and draped bust of Galla Placidia to right; above, crowned by manus dei appearing above. Rev. VOT XX MVLT XXX / R - V / COMOB Victory standing front, head to left, holding long jeweled cross in her right hand; above, small star. Depeyrot 13/2. RIC 2012. Very rare. A magnificent and lustrous piece, very sharply struck and undoubtedly among the finest known. Minor die break on the obverse and with very light doubling on the reverse, otherwise, good extremely fine.


Galla Placidia was the daughter of Theodosius I and his second wife Galla one of the most influential figures in late Roman policy. Born in circa 391-394, she became a pawn in the hands of the powerful early on, in particular after she was captured by Alaric in 408 and married to his successor Athaulf. Both of her sons from this relationship, Theodosius and Athaulf, died at a very young age, and she was eventually released from Gothic captivity in 416 after her husband was assassinated. Back in Ravenna, her half-brother Honorius forced her to marry the new strong man Constantius III in 417 (see lot 1844 above), with whom she had a daughter, Honoria (* 418), and another son, Valentinian (*419). The latter became a central figure in the Western Roman Empire when both Constantius III and Honorius died in 421 and 423, respectively, as he was appointed to Caesar by Theodosius II in 424 and to Augustus in 425 after the defeat of the usurper Johannes (423-425). Valentinian III was only six years old and his mother Galla Placidia now de facto ruled the West as regent with the help of the various rivalling magistri militum, whom she played off against each other. By the mid 430s, however, the general Flavius Aëtius emerged as the winner of the infighting within the officer corps, which drastically reduced Galla's influence, all the more since Valentinian was rapidly approaching maturity. In 437, the emperor turned eighteen and his mother stepped down as regent and retreated to Rome, where she died on 27 November 450.