Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 506 15 Dec 2021
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ROME. 1st-3rd centuries AD. PB Tessera (16mm, 3.14 g, 6h). Venus standing left, holding mirror / Scallop shell. Cf. Rostowzew 3099 (for Venus right, in a larger module). Brown patina, roughness. Near Fine.
From the Dalzell Collection.
The connection between the obverse type of Venus and the shell on the reverse may be related to the cosmetic uses of the scallop shell. In excavations in Spain, a burial of a woman included a scallop shell that had been converted into a compact. (Bajarano Osario, Ana M. et al, "Estudio arqueológico y arqueométrico de restos de cosméticos hallados en una píxide malacológica en Augusta Emerita [Mérida, Badajoz]" in SAGVNTVM. Papeles del Laboratorio de Arqueología de Valencia vol. 51, p. 177-195)
From the Dalzell Collection.
The connection between the obverse type of Venus and the shell on the reverse may be related to the cosmetic uses of the scallop shell. In excavations in Spain, a burial of a woman included a scallop shell that had been converted into a compact. (Bajarano Osario, Ana M. et al, "Estudio arqueológico y arqueométrico de restos de cosméticos hallados en una píxide malacológica en Augusta Emerita [Mérida, Badajoz]" in SAGVNTVM. Papeles del Laboratorio de Arqueología de Valencia vol. 51, p. 177-195)