Object Title
Aureus with head of Domitian
Measurements
Diameter: 20 mm; weight: 7.30 gm.; die axis: 6
Creation Date
A.D. 75
Credit Line
Gift of Michael C. Ruettgers
Culture
Country of Origin
Object Type
Materials / Techniques
Object URL
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/aureus-with-head-of-domitian-522463
Provenance Information
March 29-30, 2000, anonymous sale (Auction 18), Numismatica Ars Classica, Zürich, lot 487. December 5, 2002, anonymous sale (Auction 24), Numismatica Ars Classica, Zürich, lot 59. 2002 or 2003, purchased by Michael C. Ruettgers, Carlisle, MA; 2008, gift of Michael C. Ruettgers to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 17, 2008)
Exhibition Information
"Rubens and the Baroque Festival," Harvard Art Museum, March 15-August 31, 2010.
Publication Information
None known.
Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970
Cumulative facts and circumstances
Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above
The date and circumstances of the coin’s discovery are not known. Gold coins of this type, while struck at Rome, circulated widely and have been found within the present-day borders of many countries. Per the MFA’s 2006 agreement with the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Museum contacted Ministry representatives prior to acquiring the coin; the Ministry raised no objection to the acquisition.