Faustina II. 40-as

Faustina II; Rome, ca. 147-75 AD, As, 10.51g. BMC-999, Cohen-241, RIC-1680. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, Draped bust r. Rx: VENERI VECTRICI, Venus, half-nude, standing r. with both hands holding the r. arm of Mars, standing l. holding shield; below, parazonium. A few surviving statuary groups of this type featuring portraits of married aristocrats on the bodies of the Mars and Venus survive from the Antonine period and reflect both the popularity of the motif at the time and the desire of the well to do be portrayed in the guise of deities. This type of group is itself a combination of two famous statue types: the 4th century BC Venus of Capua and the 5th century Ares Borghese. RIC notes that the “fancied allusion of this reverse type to Faustina’s fondness for the gladiator Narcissus, savours of scandal and need not be taken seriously.”This type was issued and rumored a possible love affair betweeen Faustina II and a famous gladiator.. aEF