Sextus Pompeius, 44-35 BC. Aureus 42-38 BC, uncertain mint in Sicily. MAG · PIVS · – IMP · ITER Bare head of Sextus Pompeius right within oak wreath / PRÆF – CLAS · ET · OR – MARIT · EX · S · C Confronted heads of Pompey the Great on left and Gnaeus Pompey on right. On left, lituus; on right, tripod. 8,31g. Babelon (Pompeia) 24; Bahrfeldt 87.1 (this coin); Biaggi 48 (same dies); BMCRR 14 (this coin); Calicó 71a (same dies); Crawford 511/1; Evans 3h (this coin); Hurter 1 (this coin); Sydenham 1346a (this coin). Rare and a splendid specimen. Extremely fine. Provenance: Possibly purchased by the 2nd Duke of Devonshire (1672-1729). 6th Duke of Devonshire Collection, Christie’s (18 March 1844), 184. Prosper Dupré Collection, purchased in the 1850s. Privately purchased from the Wigan collection in 1872 by Rollin et Feuardent. Leu 25 (23 April 1980), 212. Sold as duplicates of the British Museum, Leu 50 (25 April 1990), 263. LHS 97 (10 May 2006), 1. Baron Lorne Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. This aureus is a remarkable family portrait of the Pompeii, a family that played an extremely important role in the final decades of the Roman Republic. At the reverse is Pompey the Great, one of the most talented generals of his generation. He initially allied himself with Julius Caesar and Crassus to form the First Triumvirate, but his relationship with Caesar eventually deteriorated into open conflict. Pompey was defeated by Caesar at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC and fled to Egypt, where he was assassinated on the orders of Ptolemy XIII. Facing his father’s portrait is Gnaeus Pompeius, the elder son of Pompey the Great. After his father’s defeat, Gnaeus Pompeius continued the Republican resistance, first in North Africa alongside Cato of Utica and later in Hispania with Titus Labienus. Caesar eventually defeated him at the decisive Battle of Munda, and Gnaeus was killed shortly afterwards. His younger brother Sextus Pompeius, however, managed to escape and continued the fight. Sextus, the second son of Pompey the Great whose portrait appears on the obverse of this aureus, continued the fight in Hispania until Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC. The Senate then appointed him commander of the fleet. But when the Second Triumvirate was formed between Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus, Sextus Pompeius was declared a public enemy and his name was placed on the proscription lists. Sextus subsequently took refuge in Sicily with his fleet, seizing the island in 44–43 BC. He went on to capture Sardinia and Corsica, seriously threatening Rome’s grain supply and, consequently, the survival of its population of around one million inhabitants. For almost eight years, Sextus Pompeius was able to maintain his domination of Sicily and the two major western Mediterranean islands, posing a serious threat to Rome. He even issued his own coinage, today extremely rare and highly sought after by collectors. It was not until 36 BC that the triumvirs finally succeeded in destroying Sextus’ fleet at the Battle of Naulochus. Sextus fled to Asia, where he was handed over to Mark Antony by the king of Galatia and was subsequently executed in circumstances that remain somewhat obscure. This aureus carries a remarkable message of legitimacy and strength. On the obverse, Sextus Pompeius’ portrait is surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves, a distinction traditionally awarded to a Roman who had saved the life of a fellow citizen. Sextus was probably referring here to the Roman citizens proscribed by Octavian and Antony whom he had rescued by welcoming them to Sicily. The obverse also bears the title Imperator, which refers to Sextus’ victory over Salvidienus Rufus, the commander sent against him by Octavian in 42 BC. On the reverse, Sextus reinforces his legitimacy by displaying not only the portrait of his illustrious father, Pompey the Great, but also his title granted by the Senate shortly after Caesar’s assassination: parefectvs classis et orae maritimae ex senatvs consvlto, meaning “Commander of the fleet and of the maritime coast, by decree of the Senate.” The portrait of Sextus, the oak wreath, his imperator title, the authority granted to him by the Senate, and the portrait of his illustrious father all combine to construct a powerful political message. Beyond its exceptional historical significance, this aureus is also extremely rare. In 1987, Evans recorded just 37 known examples, of which only 12 were held in museums.