51 Gallery
June 2017 Auction 9 Jun 2017
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EMPIRE, GOLD AUREUS OF GALLIENUS, possibly by the Eleusinian Master, Rome, ca. AD 266, 3.806g, 11h. Apparently unique. Lightly toned with underlying luster. Perfectly centered and struck on a full flan. Outstanding portrait. Undoubtedly a masterpiece of Roman portraiture. Virtually as struck. Helios Numismatik 2012 (8) lot 101
The reign of Gallienus was marked by a return to Hellenic tastes; this exceptional portrait of Gallienus, representing the apex of the emperor's classical renaissance, is directly inspired by hellenistic images of Alexander the Great. It refers to the emperor's initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries. He is here depicted as an authoritarian and resolute man... the inspired upward gaze emphasizes his visionary strength. Through its borrowings from the Greek sculptural canon, it's also the artistic testimony of an emperor who was a noted lover of Greek culture.
The reign of Gallienus was marked by a return to Hellenic tastes; this exceptional portrait of Gallienus, representing the apex of the emperor's classical renaissance, is directly inspired by hellenistic images of Alexander the Great. It refers to the emperor's initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries. He is here depicted as an authoritarian and resolute man... the inspired upward gaze emphasizes his visionary strength. Through its borrowings from the Greek sculptural canon, it's also the artistic testimony of an emperor who was a noted lover of Greek culture.