Chaponnière & Firmenich SA
Auction 12 18 Oct 2020
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Caria. Knidos. Tetradrachm 350-320 BC, magistrate Theumelon. Obv. Head of Aphrodite right, phrygian helmet behind. Rev. ΘΕΥΜΕΛΩ[Ν] / KNI. Forepart of lion right. Ashton 13. AR. 13.96 g. VF-XF porous
Very rare and well centered. An impressive portrait of Aphrodite, the guardian deity of the city of Knidos. The most beautiful representation of the goddess was performed by Praxiteles in the 4th century. The original statue, considered in its time as one of the masterpieces of ancient sculptural art, stood in the city's Tholos. The study by R. J. Ashton, The late classical / early Hellenistic drachms of Knidos published in the Numismatic Review, volume 154, 1999 pp. 63-94, underlines the extreme rarity of the tetradrachms struck for Knidos as compared to the abundance of drachms in the 4th century BC. All the drachms studied for the period are of reduced weight compared to the standard of Chios probably due to a lack of capital. At the same time, the issuance of tetradrachms was much more restricted, but the mints of Knidos took particular care with its production which can be described as "prestigious", by maintaining a perfect standard to compete with the tetradrachms of Ephesus.
Very rare and well centered. An impressive portrait of Aphrodite, the guardian deity of the city of Knidos. The most beautiful representation of the goddess was performed by Praxiteles in the 4th century. The original statue, considered in its time as one of the masterpieces of ancient sculptural art, stood in the city's Tholos. The study by R. J. Ashton, The late classical / early Hellenistic drachms of Knidos published in the Numismatic Review, volume 154, 1999 pp. 63-94, underlines the extreme rarity of the tetradrachms struck for Knidos as compared to the abundance of drachms in the 4th century BC. All the drachms studied for the period are of reduced weight compared to the standard of Chios probably due to a lack of capital. At the same time, the issuance of tetradrachms was much more restricted, but the mints of Knidos took particular care with its production which can be described as "prestigious", by maintaining a perfect standard to compete with the tetradrachms of Ephesus.