Petala aurea: Gold Sheet-work of Byzantine and Lombard Origin from the Rovati Collection

Petala aurea (petal of gold) is the term used in Early Medieval treatizes to describe the fine sheet and foil (bracteates) used in goldsmithing.

The book presents a collection of 47 thin gold sheet-work, with some exceptions in silver and copper alloy, owned by Prof. Rovati, Italian industrialist and art collector. This collection includes Lombard gold-sheet crosses and another fine foils of different shapes, extremely peculiar and difficult to pin down as they are unmatched in the Late Medieval jewelry known so far. The artifacts can be dated mainly to between the sixth and seventh centuries, while in terms of provenance and cultural milieu they bear traces of both the proto-Byzantine and "Barbarian" culture.