Ira and Larry Goldberg Auctioneers
Auction 96 14-15 February 2017
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Pontic Kingdom. Pharnakes I. Silver Tetradrachm (16.89 g), 185-170 BC. Sinope. Diademed head of Pharnakes I right. Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΦAPNAKOY, Pantheistic male deity (Ma?) standing facing, holding cornucopiae, caduceus and branch with which he feeds fawn standing right; above, thunderbolt; in inner left field, star within crescent; in inner right field, monogram. Cf. Kraay-Hirmer 770; cf. SNG BM 1025; RG 4. Very Rare. Boldly struck in very high relief. Wonderful Hellenistic portrait! Scattered marks about the planchet. About Very Fine. Estimate Value $5,000 - UP
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from CNG in 1992.
The somewhat unflattering depiction of Pharnakes I on the obverse of this coin is often cited as an example of Hellenistic verism. The king's harsh features are left unvarnished by idealism usually applied to Hellenistic royal portraits, no doubt to emphasize Pharnakes' strength as ruler of Pontos - a backwater kingdom often beset by internal and external troubles. In the past, scholars have read a barbarous and thug-like character into Pharnakes' portrait under the influence of colonial and racial stereotypes that are now condemned by modern scholarship. It is worth bearing in mind that some of the most attractive portraits of the kings who followed Alexander the Great actually depict men who were themselves quite accomplished killers.The reverse depicts the Phrygian lunar deity, Mên, who presided over the progression of (lunar) months. During his reign, Pharnakes I constructed a temple dedicated to Mên and to his Greek consort Selene, the personification of the moon itself, near the Pontic city of Komana. It has been suggested that the new sanctuary was built in order to compete with the important temple of Ma in the neighboring Cappadocian kingdom. In any case, Pharnakes' close interest in the cult led to the description of the deity in his new temple as Mên Pharnakou - "the Mên of Pharnakes."
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from CNG in 1992.
The somewhat unflattering depiction of Pharnakes I on the obverse of this coin is often cited as an example of Hellenistic verism. The king's harsh features are left unvarnished by idealism usually applied to Hellenistic royal portraits, no doubt to emphasize Pharnakes' strength as ruler of Pontos - a backwater kingdom often beset by internal and external troubles. In the past, scholars have read a barbarous and thug-like character into Pharnakes' portrait under the influence of colonial and racial stereotypes that are now condemned by modern scholarship. It is worth bearing in mind that some of the most attractive portraits of the kings who followed Alexander the Great actually depict men who were themselves quite accomplished killers.The reverse depicts the Phrygian lunar deity, Mên, who presided over the progression of (lunar) months. During his reign, Pharnakes I constructed a temple dedicated to Mên and to his Greek consort Selene, the personification of the moon itself, near the Pontic city of Komana. It has been suggested that the new sanctuary was built in order to compete with the important temple of Ma in the neighboring Cappadocian kingdom. In any case, Pharnakes' close interest in the cult led to the description of the deity in his new temple as Mên Pharnakou - "the Mên of Pharnakes."