Galba tazza

Square-jawed Galba stretches out his arm as if commanding us to examine the evidence of his life laid out on the dish. With his other hand he clutches his sword, which emerges from his cape. Lions frame his shoulders, and flowers add a flourish to his boots. Galba’s dish stands out for its robust yet tender naturalism. In the third scene, at the upper right, two grazing deer boast full, quivering bodies covered with convincingly matted fur.

Scene one
1
Galba’s grandfather sacrifices a cow during a storm
2
An eagle snatches the cow’s entrails from his hands
3
The eagle then flies into an oak tree—a sign that Galba will one day become emperor

Scene two
1
Galba makes a sacrifice at a temple in Spain
2
During the ceremony, a young attendant looks on, holding an incense box. Suddenly, his hair turns completely white, a sign that Galba, as an old man, will succeed Nero as emperor of Rome

Scene three
1
Galba receives another good omen: during a storm, lightning hits a lake and twelve axes appear in the water—in Rome, an unmistakable sign of supreme power

Scene four
1
Galba is childless, and therefore names a young man, Piso, to be his heir. At a military base, Galba adopts Piso in front of the assembled soldiers (a.d. 69)