''Imago clipeata'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: "portrait on a round shield") is a term in the art history of ancient Rome for images of ancestors, famous people or deceased shown as on a round shield (in Latin: ''

clipeus In the military of classical antiquity, a ''clipeus'' (; Ancient Greek: Aspis, ἀσπίς) was a large shield worn by the Ancient Greece, Greek Hoplite, hoplites and Ancient Rome, Romans as a piece of defensive armor, which they carried upon t ...

''). For other periods similar forms are called medallions. In the Roman world the ''imago clipeata'' was used to depict the ancestral family tree () in patrician houses of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

as described by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

(''Historia Naturalis'' 35: 4–11). These shield portraits can be seen in architectural sculptural decorations, on sarcophagi and on standards of the Roman legions among many other types of representations in the Roman and Early Christian world. In

Italian Baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

imagery, medallion portraits supported by

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

s or genii came to signify an

apotheosis Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The origina ...

. In this context they might be called ''tondi''.

References

{{italic title Ancient Roman sculpture Sculpture techniques Iconography