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772
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ANCIENT GREECE - GREEK
See original version (French)
772
-
ANCIENT GREECE - GREEK
See original version (French)
Estimate €30,000
Voluntary lot
Description
ANCIENT GREECE - GREEK
Sicily, Syracuse, Dionysius the Elder (406–367 BC). Decadrachm, dies in the style of Evainetes (unsigned) ND (405–380 BC), Syracuse.
Obverse: Galloping quadriga facing left, driven by a charioteer holding the reins and the kentron; above, Nike flying to the right, crowning him. In the exergue, military equipment and [ΑΘΛΑ].
Rev. ΣΥ-Ρ-Α-Κ-ΟΣΙΩ-Ν. Head of Arethusa (Kore-Persephone) facing left, crowned with ears of corn, wearing triple-pendant earrings and a pearl necklace. Around her, four dolphins; behind, a scallop shell pointing upwards to the left.
HGC 2, 1299 - SNG ANS 374 - Gallatin F.IXa/R.XXI; Silver - 43.25 g - 32 mm - 12 h
From a Schweizerischer Bankverein 17 sale, 21 January 1987, lot 15.
NGC XF 3/5 4/5 Fine Style die shift (8769656-002).
Struck in high relief, with barely any clovering on the reverse. The fields are slightly corroded. Light grey patina with golden highlights. Almost Superb.
The engraver Évainètes seems to have begun his series of signed decadrachm dies a few years after Kimon; perhaps he began as an apprentice before rising to the rank of master. His decadrachm design surpassed that of Kimon and became a model for coinage throughout the ancient world. His Arethusa is less human and more divine than that of his predecessor. The wreath of wheat ears woven into her hair symbolises Sicily’s agricultural abundance. The racing chariot is the very essence of action; as if frozen in time, the horses are rearing and lunging, appearing to fly above the ground. This design was widely imitated on later Syracusan coins, as well as by the Carthaginian forces in Sicily
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See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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