Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XVI 26 Sep 2018
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Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, Cleopatra VII Thea Neotera Æ Obol - 40 Drachmai. Alexandria, circa 51-30 BC. Diademed and draped bust right / KΛEOΠATPAC BACIΛICCHC, Eagle standing left on thunderbolt; cornucopia to left, M to right. Svoronos 1872; Weiser 184-5; SNG Copenhagen 422-4; Noeske 383. 8.77g, 22mm, 11h.
Extremely Fine; in outstanding condition for the type, with a high-relief portrait of fine style.
Sold with export licence issued by The Israel Antiquities Authority.
Much has been written concerning the differences in appearance of the queen on her various coinage issues, and the apparent inconsistency in depicting both her age and beauty. Collectors often wonder at her plain appearance on the surviving coins both in her sole name and those issued jointly with Marc Antony, an appearance which seems at odds with her famous seduction of two of the most powerful men in history – first, Julius Caesar in 48/47 BC when she was twenty-one, then Marc Antony in 41/40 BC, the year this coin was struck. Surviving busts of Cleopatra certainly are more flattering than her coinage; the exaggeration of certain features on the coinage can often be explained by deliberate emphasis on attributes associated with strength and power, notably the angular jaw and chin, and distinctive Ptolemaic nose.
Extremely Fine; in outstanding condition for the type, with a high-relief portrait of fine style.
Sold with export licence issued by The Israel Antiquities Authority.
Much has been written concerning the differences in appearance of the queen on her various coinage issues, and the apparent inconsistency in depicting both her age and beauty. Collectors often wonder at her plain appearance on the surviving coins both in her sole name and those issued jointly with Marc Antony, an appearance which seems at odds with her famous seduction of two of the most powerful men in history – first, Julius Caesar in 48/47 BC when she was twenty-one, then Marc Antony in 41/40 BC, the year this coin was struck. Surviving busts of Cleopatra certainly are more flattering than her coinage; the exaggeration of certain features on the coinage can often be explained by deliberate emphasis on attributes associated with strength and power, notably the angular jaw and chin, and distinctive Ptolemaic nose.