Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Triton XXV 11-12 Jan 2022
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SICILY, Syracuse. Dionysios I. 405-367 BC. AR Dekadrachm (37.5mm, 41.24 g, 5h). Unsigned dies in the style of Euainetos. Struck circa 405-380/67 BC. Charioteer, holding kentron in extended right hand and reins in left, driving fast quadriga left; above, Nike flying right, crowning charioteer with wreath held in her extended hands; below heavy exergual line, [military harness], shield, greaves, cuirass, and crested Attic helmet, all connected by a horizontal spear; [AΘΛA below] / Head of Arethousa left, wearing wreath of grain ears, triple-pendant earring, and pearl necklace; ΣΥ-ΡΑ-Κ-Ο-[ΣΙΩΝ] above, scallop shell behind neck, four dolphins swimming around. Gallatin dies R.XI/E.I; Scavino 53 (D11/R21); HGC 2, 1299; SNG ANS 372 (same dies); Boston MFA 426 = Warren 359 (same dies); Consul Weber 686 (same dies); Hunterian 55 (same dies); Jameson 829 (same dies). Old collection tone, only a hint of the usual die rust and a minor delamination on obverse. EF. A spectacular example, struck on a broad flan from fresh dies.
From the Menlo Park Collection. Ex CNG inventory 711395 (March 1999).
The engraver Euainetos seems to have begun his series of signed dekadrachm dies a few years after Kimon; perhaps he began as an apprentice and "graduated" to master status. His dekadrachm design superseded that of Kimon and became a paradigm for coinage throughout the classical world. His Arethousa is less human and more divine than his predecessor's vision. The wreath of grain ears woven into her hair symbolizes the agricultural bounty of Sicily. His racing chariot is the essence of action, almost photographically frozen in time, with the charging, rearing horses appearing to levitate above the ground line. The design was widely copied on later coinage of Syracuse, as well as by the Carthaginian forces in Sicily.
From the Menlo Park Collection. Ex CNG inventory 711395 (March 1999).
The engraver Euainetos seems to have begun his series of signed dekadrachm dies a few years after Kimon; perhaps he began as an apprentice and "graduated" to master status. His dekadrachm design superseded that of Kimon and became a paradigm for coinage throughout the classical world. His Arethousa is less human and more divine than his predecessor's vision. The wreath of grain ears woven into her hair symbolizes the agricultural bounty of Sicily. His racing chariot is the essence of action, almost photographically frozen in time, with the charging, rearing horses appearing to levitate above the ground line. The design was widely copied on later coinage of Syracuse, as well as by the Carthaginian forces in Sicily.