Corazza centurioni, Elmo Greco, Insegna Romana, Scudo | Centurion armour, Greek helmet, Roman banner, Shield

A reproduction engraving by Lorenzo Roccheggiani depicts relief-decorated monuments of the ancient art of armour production. To the left, the armour of a Roman centurion worn over a tunic, originating in the Palazzo Mattei in Rome. Next to it, a recreated Greek helmet, decorated with silhouettes of lions, one of which is winged, has been reproduced from a monument in the Vatican Museum. To the right a six-sided shield is shown, a trophy of the Emperor Octavian Augustus, found on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. The shield is decorated, following Roman custom, with a symbol expressing doubt in surrender - a winged face surrounded by acanthus leaves and floral vortices inside and on the bordure (border), separated by an astragalus (pearlwork) motif. A hand-crowned signum, or battle sign of the unit called manipula, which is the Roman form of the banner, is reproduced from Trajan's Column has been placed behind the shield. The featured board 6 has come from the album Raccolta di 100 tavole reppresentanti i costumi religiosi, civili a militari degli antichi..., published in Rome in 1804, comprising of one hundred boards presenting religious, secular and military costumes and ancient objects from the area of Egypt, Etruria, Greece and Rome. The illustrator of the album, Lorenzo Roccheggiani, worked as an engraver and illustrator between 1804 and 1817. He was the author of several series of engravings published in Rome and Milan, dedicated to ancient monuments, costumes, furniture and ornamental motifs. Ewa Gwiazdowska