Wanted: image(s) of Hilaritas or Laetitia from ancient Rome

Angilion · 22 Feb 2020 at 02:29

So...I'm considering a tattoo and fancy one of the above, but I want some good images to consider first. Maybe I'll have it done, maybe not. I want to get some images and think about it first and to take to the artist to discuss details with them if I decide to have the tattoo done.

I'm having trouble finding good images. Searching for Hilaritas turns up a multitude of images of coins. Right images, but the quality of imagery on ~2000 year old coins leaves a lot to be desired. Searching for Laetitia is worse because it's a name still in use so all the images returned are of numerous women with that name.

I'd prefer Laetitia in some ways as it's a more secular image, but the classic image of Hilaritas with palm branch and cornucopia appeals to me.

RxR · 22 Feb 2020 at 03:17

Have you looked through these?

https://www.google.com/search?q=Laetitia,+ancient+rome,+images

https://www.google.com/search?q=Hilaritas,+ancient+rome,+images

or here?

http://numismatics.org/ocre/results?q=deity_facet:"Laetitia"

gronf · 22 Feb 2020 at 03:55

Perhaps Hillaryta or Laquisha from ancient twitter instead?

https://twitter.com/thatcherhillary

https://twitter.com/laquishaj03

Participant · 22 Feb 2020 at 06:42

Serious suggestion, ask a woman you know to model and take a photo of her in a similar pose.

You can use a wig and get her to hold a broom handle etc. Drape a sheet over her shoulder and Bob's your uncle.

Efour · 22 Feb 2020 at 06:57

I think you are gonna be the only person that knows wtf your tatoo represents so I wouldn't worry

SexyGreyFox · 22 Feb 2020 at 14:26

If you get it done consider using my mate up in Dresden (Stoke) - https://www.facebook.com/brett.foden.artist

His work is amazing.

Angilion · 23 Feb 2020 at 01:25

Participant said:
Serious suggestion, ask a woman you know to model and take a photo of her in a similar pose.

You can use a wig and get her to hold a broom handle etc. Drape a sheet over her shoulder and Bob's your uncle.

I'm sure that would be fine for other people, but it would look wrong to me and as Efour rightly points out:

Efour said:
I think you are gonna be the only person that knows wtf your tatoo represents so I wouldn't worry

The tattoo is for me, so it needs to be right for me. Which means that I'll want more than "drape a sheet over her shoulder". Formal Roman women's clothing was more than that. Animal House style would be fine for most people, but not for me.

I suppose I could combine an image from a coin and an image of a woman in traditional formal Roman women's clothing, but what period? Should it be an older style of toga (Roman women stopped wearing togas quite early on, ~4th century BC, because they're ridiculously impractical garments) or palla et alia?

SexyGreyFox said:
If you get it done consider using my mate up in Dresden (Stoke) - https://www.facebook.com/brett.foden.artist

His work is amazing.

Shame I don't use Facebook and can't see his photos unless I log in to a Facebook account I don't have and don't want.

Angilion · 23 Feb 2020 at 01:33

RxR said:
Have you looked through these?

https://www.google.com/search?q=Laetitia,+ancient+rome,+images

https://www.google.com/search?q=Hilaritas,+ancient+rome,+images

No, because I don't use Google. Ever. But thanks for the links. I might make an exception for this.

or here?

http://numismatics.org/ocre/results?q=deity_facet:"Laetitia"

Now I want to buy things and I'm blaming you

I wonder how much an aureus from Marcus Aurelius' reign costs...erk, way out of my price range!

NVP · 23 Feb 2020 at 07:47

Angilion said:
No, because I don't use Google. Ever. But thanks for the links. I might make an exception for this.

How come?

Participant · 23 Feb 2020 at 07:47

Sounds like you're serious enough about this to consider paying for an artist's impression.

SexyGreyFox · 23 Feb 2020 at 19:34

Angilion said:
Shame I don't use Facebook and can't see his photos unless I log in to a Facebook account I don't have and don't want.

https://heytattoo.co.uk/0699991/Skinpressions_tattoo_studio

https://inkstinct.co/studio/skinpressions-tattoo-studio-stoke-on-trent

Dis86 · 23 Feb 2020 at 20:13

https://inkstinct.co/studio/skinpressions-tattoo-studio-stoke-on-trent/tattoo/11465231970860566448

that's hilarious!

NVP · 23 Feb 2020 at 20:29

Dis86 said:
https://inkstinct.co/studio/skinpressions-tattoo-studio-stoke-on-trent/tattoo/11465231970860566448

that's hilarious!

I quite liked this piece...

...nice ink , too.

Dis86 · 23 Feb 2020 at 20:32

Classy bird! Bet she's had plenty squirted up that leg, and not just from the octopus.

Tee Hee Johnson · 23 Feb 2020 at 21:48

Dis86 said:
Classy bird! Bet she's had plenty squirted up that leg, and not just from the octopus.

Chortle.

Angilion · 23 Feb 2020 at 22:11

NVP said:
How come?

Because I might consider it worth the price of using Google, having taken reasonable steps to reduce that price. Or I might not. I haven't decided yet. I do use Google in one way (Youtube) on that basis.

RxR · 24 Feb 2020 at 02:07

Angilion, on my search around there was mention that King George was fond of Laetitia for unstated reasons.

I also remembered that there was what looked like an a female 'angel' type figure on a WW1 medal that I found buried in the wet sand dredged up and left behind by a drill rig in our neighborhood when I was 7yo or so 47 years ago. (It was attached to a torn piece of heavy black jacket).

I went looking for that medal. It was based on Laetitia, as you can see, and is called the Victory Medal. Thus, you might find this medal provides a better quality image to work with.

Have a look here:

https://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/Victory-Medal.asp

Angilion · 24 Feb 2020 at 04:54

RxR said:
Angilion, on my search around there was mention that King George was fond of Laetitia for unstated reasons.

I also remembered that there was what looked like an a female 'angel' type figure on a WW1 medal that I found buried in the wet sand dredged up and left behind by a drill rig in our neighborhood when I was 7yo or so 47 years ago. (It was attached to a torn piece of heavy black jacket).

I went looking for that medal. It was based on Laetitia, as you can see, and is called the Victory Medal. Thus, you might find this medal provides a better quality image to work with.

Have a look here:

https://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/Victory-Medal.asp

Thank you for looking. It is a better quality image to work with, but to me that looks like it's based on Victoria, not Laetitia. As far as I know, Laetitia wasn't depicted with wings but Victoria always was. The entry for the medal also states that the figure is a figure of Victory, which is an anglicised form of Victoria (who was the Roman god of victory).

NVP said:
I quite liked this piece...

...nice ink , too.

Eh, I am old. My first thought on seeing that picture was that the huge skull face stuck on the front of the ship would surely make it much less seaworthy.

Participant said:
Sounds like you're serious enough about this to consider paying for an artist's impression.

I was expecting to pay the tattoo artist for that. They'd be best suited for knowing what would work best in a tattoo. Don't they charge for preliminary sketches?

RxR · 24 Feb 2020 at 05:02

Hmm, just had another look. It was Hilaritas that held that stem of wheat looking thing, same as the Victory medal figure.

(For Hilaritas) I'm going off the article coin images on this page:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/moonmoth/reverse_happy.html

Angilion · 24 Feb 2020 at 05:19

RxR said:
Hmm, just had another look. It was Hilaritas that held that stem of wheat looking thing, same as the Victory medal figure.

(For Hilaritas) I'm going off the article coin images on this page:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/moonmoth/reverse_happy.html

The "stem of wheat looking thing" in the images of Hilaritas is supposed to be a branch of a palm tree with fronds at the end. I think that serves as an example of what I said before, that the quality of the imagery in ~2000 year old coins leave a lot to be desired

I'm not sure what the Victory figure on that medal is holding, but it's a different plant and a lot smaller. A laurel wreath seems to have been more common, since that was itself a symbol of victory.

I think I'm going to have to gather some seperate images (Hilaritas from Roman coins, a woman wearing stola and palla, a palm branch and a cornucopia), discuss what I want with the tattoo artist and see what they come up with that would work as a tattoo. The image of a coin is growing on me, but I doubt if that would look right on a tattoo. I don't think it's possible for a tattoo to look metallic because skin doesn't.