I purchased this gold 'leaf' from a reputable collector, and good friend of mine. His comments were that it was an ancient Roman pure gold leaf, that was found in the Cumbria Area in Britain, by a metal detectorist, quite a number of years ago. It is presumed to have been made circa 200 A.D. Golden laurel crowns, without any particular designation, were frequently presented out of compliment by one individual to another, and by a general to a soldier who had in any way distinguished himself. A Laurel Wreath would be presented to the Victor after battle; the wreath may have been made of a number of these thin gold leaves, or by some 'woody' material. I wonder if gold 'leaves' were used in any other manner, and if anyone knows if there is a point of reference that I might utilize to get more information? This leaf is: 2.7cm in length, 1cm in width, Approximately 0.3mm thick. In keeping with the rules, from a similar time, I am also showing photos of my ORBIANA, wife of Severus Alexander. AR Denarius (3.47 gm). Diademed and draped bust right / Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera in right hand and single cornucopiae in left. RIC IV 319 var. (Severus); BMCRE 287 var. (Severus); RSC 1 var. Unrecorded variant with just the single cornucopiae!
Sorry, tc, I can't help with the 'gold leaf', but it's certainly a cool-looking artifact. This actually looks like a double cornucopiae to me, just like these other examples.
Ooops. Sorry Zumbly. You are right. In my haste to copy from Wildwinds I should have noticed that error.
That's a nice catch! People would be amazed that quite a number of these survive (though would be called 'rare' if comparing numismatically). I have quite a few books on antiquities, but unfortunately I only have those that discuss Greek examples. I dont know exactly the story behind this one, but it could be as you mention, or a simple decoration, a votive object, etc.
