Leu Numismatik AG
Auction 7 24-25 Oct 2020
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UNCERTAIN GERMANIC TRIBES, Pseudo-Imperial coinage. Late 3rd-early 4th centuries. 'Quinarius' (Gold, 17 mm, 5.38 g, 7 h), 'Bear Group'. IIOII\IIIO IIIIIIIOΠ Bare-headed, draped and cuirassed imperial bust to right, seen from behind. Rev. O[.]OƆIO Bear, upright, standing left, attacking a warrior seated to right on the ground by grabbing his shield, the warrior holds a dagger or short sword in his right hand, with which he attempts to defend himself. Aurum Barbarorum I, 823 var. and corr. (head to left and reverse misinterpreted). A wonderful example of this iconic issue with a particularly detailed reverse. Original suspension loop broken off and with some minor graffiti and light scratches, otherwise, good very fine.
From the Aurum Barbarorum Collection.
The appearance of a second example from the 'Bear Group' with sharper reverse details allows for a reinterpretation of the reverse scene: with the male figure evidently holding a dagger or short sword in his right hand, it becomes apparent that the bear is not presenting a basket to the human, instead, he is very likely attacking him! Clearly the warrior or hunter, who has fallen to the ground, is terrified by the sight of the beast wresting his shield from him, as he desperately tries to fend it off with his small-sized weapon. In contrast to Greco-Roman iconography, which almost exclusively uses the (successful!) hunting of wild animals as a display of human strength and power, the Germanic artist presents us a wholly different view of nature as a dangerous and frightening environment. In the wild and untamed lands north of the Danube, predators such as bears and wolves undoubtedly were a real threat. Perhaps the singular image of a bear attacking a desperate human fallen to the ground thus represents an actual attack of such a beast that happened in the artist's environment, or it shows us animal fighting as a sport of the Germanic warrior society, with the life-threatening dangers of such activities clearly exposed!
From the Aurum Barbarorum Collection.
The appearance of a second example from the 'Bear Group' with sharper reverse details allows for a reinterpretation of the reverse scene: with the male figure evidently holding a dagger or short sword in his right hand, it becomes apparent that the bear is not presenting a basket to the human, instead, he is very likely attacking him! Clearly the warrior or hunter, who has fallen to the ground, is terrified by the sight of the beast wresting his shield from him, as he desperately tries to fend it off with his small-sized weapon. In contrast to Greco-Roman iconography, which almost exclusively uses the (successful!) hunting of wild animals as a display of human strength and power, the Germanic artist presents us a wholly different view of nature as a dangerous and frightening environment. In the wild and untamed lands north of the Danube, predators such as bears and wolves undoubtedly were a real threat. Perhaps the singular image of a bear attacking a desperate human fallen to the ground thus represents an actual attack of such a beast that happened in the artist's environment, or it shows us animal fighting as a sport of the Germanic warrior society, with the life-threatening dangers of such activities clearly exposed!