Stack's Bowers & Ponterio
January 2016 NYINC Auction 8-9 January 2016
View prices realized
The harpy (a large bird with a female human head) was originally seen as a wind spirit, with some early Greek pottery interpretations of them with beautiful feminine features. Later on, the Roman, Byzantine and Medieval depictions of these creatures would portray them as ugly and grotesque, notably inhabiting a tortured forest in Dante's Inferno. The depiction on this coin provides a keen look at the beautiful origins of this fascinating mythical creature.
NGC Ch EF, Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5.