Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XX 29-30 Oct 2020
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Sicily, Syracuse AR Tetradrachm. Time of the Second Democracy, circa 420 BC. Signed by the unknown master 'A'. Charioteer, holding kentron and reins, driving slow quadriga to right; above, Nike flying to left, crowning charioteer with wreath / Head of Arethusa right, wearing double-hook earrings and necklace with lion-head pendant, ampyx decorated with olive branch, hair enveloped in sakkos drawn together at top and decorated with a maeander pattern above chevrons and signed with the letter A; four dolphins and ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΟΝ around. Boehringer 699 (V345/R477); SNG ANS 234 (same dies); HGC 2, 1322. 18.02g, 24mm, 9h.
Good Extremely Fine; lightly toned with golden iridescence.
From the Long Valley River Collection;
Ex Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed al-Thani Collection, Morton & Eden Ltd, Auction 86, 24 May 2017, lot 7;
Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction II, 2 October 2011, lot 106 (hammer: £19,000);
Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction I, 15 October 2010, lot 24 and coverpiece;
Ex David Freedman Collection; privately purchased from Numismatica Ars Classica AG, 2009.
The finest specimen known of this very rare type, it is clear that the dies were fresh when this coin was minted as evidenced by the subtle yet crisp detail of the horses, though the obverse strike was not quite perfect. The reverse displays a magnificent head of Arethusa wearing an intricately detailed sakkos (a form of ornamental hair-net), with a detailed chevron and maeander patterned band around. This coin, and the Syracusan series in general, afford the modern observer an intriguing indicator of the changing fashions of the time. Greek women had traditionally covered their heads in a variety of manners from around 500 BC, with evidence of a variety of headdresses being found on sculpture, in surviving texts and of course on numismatic representations. The sakkos in particular could be either a soft woven cap or a loose piece of material wrapped around the head, but in either case it initially completely covered their hair which was tied up in a bun underneath. The sphendone, which was a less restrictive headdress, was in effect a scarf wound around the head that covered only the lower portion of the hair-bun and allowed for more feminine styling. Both the sakkos and the sphendone declined in popularity in the late fourth century. This particular depiction of Arethusa presents us with an at once majestic and demure portrait that is rendered all the more impressive by the light tone of the piece and by the golden highlights playing around the nymph's head which create a fitting 'aura' of divinity.
The unknown individual who signed this reverse simply 'A' was the very first master engraver to sign his dies at Syracuse, around 15 years before other masters such as Eumenos, Kimon and Euainetos began signing theirs. The striking quality and attentive craftsmanship on display in this tetradrachm seems to be the diametric opposite to the state of affairs in Syracuse and Sicily more widely at the time it was issued. The period from which it dates falls roughly in the middle of what is known as the Second Democracy in Syracuse, which followed a particularly turbulent period of rule by the Deinomenid tyrants and was in turn succeeded by another sequence of cruel and unpleasant tyrants, the Dionysii. These unsettled politics did not, however, negatively impact the continuing developments being made in the artistry of Syracuse's coinage. Indeed it seems that the very fact that this period was dominated by warfare and rivalry with other city states, requiring huge sums to finance, meant that the die cutters had ample opportunity to experiment and refine their skill, resulting in some of the most exquisite example of numismatic art produced in the ancient world, of which this tetradrachm is undoubtedly one.
Good Extremely Fine; lightly toned with golden iridescence.
From the Long Valley River Collection;
Ex Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed al-Thani Collection, Morton & Eden Ltd, Auction 86, 24 May 2017, lot 7;
Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction II, 2 October 2011, lot 106 (hammer: £19,000);
Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction I, 15 October 2010, lot 24 and coverpiece;
Ex David Freedman Collection; privately purchased from Numismatica Ars Classica AG, 2009.
The finest specimen known of this very rare type, it is clear that the dies were fresh when this coin was minted as evidenced by the subtle yet crisp detail of the horses, though the obverse strike was not quite perfect. The reverse displays a magnificent head of Arethusa wearing an intricately detailed sakkos (a form of ornamental hair-net), with a detailed chevron and maeander patterned band around. This coin, and the Syracusan series in general, afford the modern observer an intriguing indicator of the changing fashions of the time. Greek women had traditionally covered their heads in a variety of manners from around 500 BC, with evidence of a variety of headdresses being found on sculpture, in surviving texts and of course on numismatic representations. The sakkos in particular could be either a soft woven cap or a loose piece of material wrapped around the head, but in either case it initially completely covered their hair which was tied up in a bun underneath. The sphendone, which was a less restrictive headdress, was in effect a scarf wound around the head that covered only the lower portion of the hair-bun and allowed for more feminine styling. Both the sakkos and the sphendone declined in popularity in the late fourth century. This particular depiction of Arethusa presents us with an at once majestic and demure portrait that is rendered all the more impressive by the light tone of the piece and by the golden highlights playing around the nymph's head which create a fitting 'aura' of divinity.
The unknown individual who signed this reverse simply 'A' was the very first master engraver to sign his dies at Syracuse, around 15 years before other masters such as Eumenos, Kimon and Euainetos began signing theirs. The striking quality and attentive craftsmanship on display in this tetradrachm seems to be the diametric opposite to the state of affairs in Syracuse and Sicily more widely at the time it was issued. The period from which it dates falls roughly in the middle of what is known as the Second Democracy in Syracuse, which followed a particularly turbulent period of rule by the Deinomenid tyrants and was in turn succeeded by another sequence of cruel and unpleasant tyrants, the Dionysii. These unsettled politics did not, however, negatively impact the continuing developments being made in the artistry of Syracuse's coinage. Indeed it seems that the very fact that this period was dominated by warfare and rivalry with other city states, requiring huge sums to finance, meant that the die cutters had ample opportunity to experiment and refine their skill, resulting in some of the most exquisite example of numismatic art produced in the ancient world, of which this tetradrachm is undoubtedly one.