The New York Sale
Auction 42 9 Jan 2018
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Ptolemaic Kingdom. Arsinöe II, wife of Ptolemy II. Gold Mnaieion (27.75 g), died 270 BC. Alexandria, under Ptolemy II, ca. 253/2-246 BC. Diademed and veiled head of Arsinöe II right; above, tip of a lotus scepter; behind, M. rev. APΣINOH ΦIΛAΔEΛΦOY, double cornucopiae bound with fillet. Svoronos 486; Olivier & Lorber dies 1/1; SNG Copenhagen -. Outstanding portrait! Lovely high relief style.Extremely Rare - one of only five known with the M control. Underlying luster present. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $10,000
From the Dionysus Collection.
The spectacular Ptolemaic mnaieion was one of the largest gold coins struck in the Greek world, exceeded only by the excruciatingly rare 20-stater gold issue of the Graeco-Baktrian king Eukratides I (171-145 BC). The standard type for the mnaieion was a portrait of Arsinöe II, the sister-wife of Ptolemy II Philadelphos. Their incestuous marriage was a cause of scandal among the Greeks but served to establish an insulated and secure dynasty free from the meddling of foreign kings who might become connected to the Ptolemaic house through marriage. The relationship between Arsinöe II and Ptolemy II also served to elevate them beyond the normal mortal sphere and placed them in the realm of both the Greek and Egyptian gods since Zeus married his own sister Hera as did Osiris marry Isis. The veil and stephane worn by Arsinöe as well as the scepter she carries connect her to the iconography of both Hera and Aphrodite. The latter was often considered a Greek interpretation of Egyptian Isis. The overflowing double cornucopiae of the reverse refers both to the fecundity of the marriage of Arsinöe II and Ptolemy II (much overblown as it turned out since Arsinöe actually had no children by her brother) and to the abundance of the land to be enjoyed under the just reign of Ptolemy II and Arsinöe II, the Theoi Philadelphoi ("sibling-loving gods").
From the Dionysus Collection.
The spectacular Ptolemaic mnaieion was one of the largest gold coins struck in the Greek world, exceeded only by the excruciatingly rare 20-stater gold issue of the Graeco-Baktrian king Eukratides I (171-145 BC). The standard type for the mnaieion was a portrait of Arsinöe II, the sister-wife of Ptolemy II Philadelphos. Their incestuous marriage was a cause of scandal among the Greeks but served to establish an insulated and secure dynasty free from the meddling of foreign kings who might become connected to the Ptolemaic house through marriage. The relationship between Arsinöe II and Ptolemy II also served to elevate them beyond the normal mortal sphere and placed them in the realm of both the Greek and Egyptian gods since Zeus married his own sister Hera as did Osiris marry Isis. The veil and stephane worn by Arsinöe as well as the scepter she carries connect her to the iconography of both Hera and Aphrodite. The latter was often considered a Greek interpretation of Egyptian Isis. The overflowing double cornucopiae of the reverse refers both to the fecundity of the marriage of Arsinöe II and Ptolemy II (much overblown as it turned out since Arsinöe actually had no children by her brother) and to the abundance of the land to be enjoyed under the just reign of Ptolemy II and Arsinöe II, the Theoi Philadelphoi ("sibling-loving gods").