Vittoriano
Anna Galeria Faustina was the wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius. The epithet "the Elder" was coined to distinguish her from her daughter, who shared the same name and became the wife of Marcus Aurelius, the successor to her husband.
In 138 AD, the year of her marriage and Antoninus Pius' accession to the throne, Faustina was granted the title of Augusta by the Senate, and she became an influential figure, offering invaluable support in her husband’s economic policies and reformist agenda. Following her premature death in early 141 AD, she was immediately honored by the Senate and interred in the Mausoleum of Hadrian.
Emperor Antoninus, in addition to founding a section of the Institutio alimentaria—the Puellae Faustinianae, a charitable institution for young women in need—also initiated a public commemoration of his wife, deifying her. Numerous statues were created in her honor, and many coins were minted bearing her divine effigy.
The medal by Filarete, crafted around the mid-15th century, draws inspiration from these imperial coins. The classical influence is evident both in the portrait of the Augusta, depicted with an intricate hairstyle of braids gathered into a high bun (rendered with exquisite fine detailing through burin engraving in this example), and in the reverse, where she is shown in traditional Roman attire, embodying the ideals of marital fidelity and virtue.
During the Renaissance, the legend of Faustina the Elder saw a revival, fueled by the growing enthusiasm for collecting classical antiquities. The discovery of numerous Roman coins bearing her image sparked scholarly curiosity about her history and the reasons for her prominent numismatic portrayal—particularly as it was rare to see a female figure represented in this predominantly male sphere of Roman imperial imagery.
