Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 126 17 Nov 2021
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Colchis
Didrachm late V-early IV century BC, AR 9.33 g. Head of Artemis Dali facing r. Rev. Two female heads vis-a-vis, each within an incuse square. SNG BM Black Sea 1012 (this obverse die). Jameson 2543.
Of the highest rarity, possibly the finest of very specimens known. A very intriguing and
fascinating issue of magnificent Archaic style. Wonderful old cabinet tone.
A few minor pits, otherwise good very fine
Ex New York sale XXVII, 2012, Prospero, 211. Privately purchased from Spink & Son in January 1988.
The land of Colchis (modern day Georgia) on the east coast of the Black Sea developed a reputation as a mysterious place of dark magic early on in Greek cultural memory. In the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, Colchis was ruled by Aeetes, a son of Helios who kept the famous Golden Fleece under the watch of a sleepless dragon. With the sorcerous help of Aeetes' daughter Medea, Jason and his companions were able to steal the fleece and flee from Colchis. Aeetes sailed after them in a bid to reclaim the fleece, but he was prevented when Medea came up with the morbidly ingenious plan of killing her brother and throwing his dismembered body into the sea. The horrified Aeetes stopped to recover the pieces, thereby buying Jason and the Argonauts time to make good their escape. This extremely rare and beautifully preserved stater from Colchis may reflect the indigenous cults that contributed to the mysterious flavour of the region to the Greeks if the female head on the obverse has been rightly identified as Artemis Dali. Dali was a native Georgian goddess who lived in a cave on the top of a high peak in the Caucasus range. She was known for her radiant beauty and her luxurious hair, coming down from her abode to protect both the wild animals of the forests and to grant boons to hunters. However, she could be a very dangerous and vindictive deity-in one tale she strangled a hunter who stole a lock of her supernaturally strong hair to string his bow and in another she destroyed an entire town after a hunter killed one of animals that she had marked for protection. While the identification of Dali with Artemis makes sense considering that the Greek goddess was a huntress, it is very uncertain whether this association was actually made in Chalcis or by Greek visitors. The association between the two is entirely modern.
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Didrachm late V-early IV century BC, AR 9.33 g. Head of Artemis Dali facing r. Rev. Two female heads vis-a-vis, each within an incuse square. SNG BM Black Sea 1012 (this obverse die). Jameson 2543.
Of the highest rarity, possibly the finest of very specimens known. A very intriguing and
fascinating issue of magnificent Archaic style. Wonderful old cabinet tone.
A few minor pits, otherwise good very fine
Ex New York sale XXVII, 2012, Prospero, 211. Privately purchased from Spink & Son in January 1988.
The land of Colchis (modern day Georgia) on the east coast of the Black Sea developed a reputation as a mysterious place of dark magic early on in Greek cultural memory. In the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, Colchis was ruled by Aeetes, a son of Helios who kept the famous Golden Fleece under the watch of a sleepless dragon. With the sorcerous help of Aeetes' daughter Medea, Jason and his companions were able to steal the fleece and flee from Colchis. Aeetes sailed after them in a bid to reclaim the fleece, but he was prevented when Medea came up with the morbidly ingenious plan of killing her brother and throwing his dismembered body into the sea. The horrified Aeetes stopped to recover the pieces, thereby buying Jason and the Argonauts time to make good their escape. This extremely rare and beautifully preserved stater from Colchis may reflect the indigenous cults that contributed to the mysterious flavour of the region to the Greeks if the female head on the obverse has been rightly identified as Artemis Dali. Dali was a native Georgian goddess who lived in a cave on the top of a high peak in the Caucasus range. She was known for her radiant beauty and her luxurious hair, coming down from her abode to protect both the wild animals of the forests and to grant boons to hunters. However, she could be a very dangerous and vindictive deity-in one tale she strangled a hunter who stole a lock of her supernaturally strong hair to string his bow and in another she destroyed an entire town after a hunter killed one of animals that she had marked for protection. While the identification of Dali with Artemis makes sense considering that the Greek goddess was a huntress, it is very uncertain whether this association was actually made in Chalcis or by Greek visitors. The association between the two is entirely modern.
View a video of this lot