Caracalla, 211-217. Sestertius. Rome. AD 215 (Bronze, 31.98 mm, 26.46 g). M AVREL ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev. P M TR P XVIII IMP III COS IIII PP / S C, Emperor, in military dress, standing left, holding spear and resting left foot on crocodile, facing to Isis advancing right, holding ears of grain and sistrum to present to him. RIC IV.1 544. Cohen 334. BMCRE 286. Dark green patina. Flan edge split. Expressive portrait. Good Very Fine. Rare. From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection; ex Astarte 1, 11 May 1998, lot 279. From the pen of G.M.S.: This important and rare sestertius of Caracalla, in excellent condition and with a fine patina, features first of all a severe and expressive portrait of the emperor, combining both courtly and realistic styles. On the reverse, along the exergual line, we find a scene depicting Caracalla on the right, in the guise of a military leader, standing left, holding a sceptre (or spear) in his left hand, and placing his right foot upon a crocodile. He receives the homage of Isis, who stands facing him on the left, holding a sistrum and extending two ears of wheat toward the emperor. This is not a reference to a past event, but rather a clear anticipation of the imperial voyage to Egypt, which would take place in AD 216. There, Caracalla would become infamous for the brutal repression of the people of Alexandria, who had dared to mock him—especially for the fratricide of Geta and the cult of Alexander the Great which he sought to appropriate.