Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 132 30-31 May 2022
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Perseus, 178 – 168
Tetradrachm signed by Zoilos, Pella 178, AR 16.67 g. Diademed head r., slightly bearded; below, ZΩΙΛΟΥ. Rev. ΒΑΣΙ - ΛΕΩΣ / ΠΕΡ - ΣΕΩΣ Eagle standing r. on thunderbolt, with open wings; in field r., Σ monogram. The whole within wreath. de Sartiges 212 (these dies). Mamroth 1. AMNG I pl. 35, 23 (these dies). de Luynes 1712 (these dies). Boehringer, Chronologie pl. 7, 5 (these dies). Gillet 238 (these dies).
Extremely rare and undoubtedly one of the finest specimens known. A realistic and
finely executed portrait, the work of a very talented master engraver.
Light iridescent tone and good extremely fine / exremely fine
Ex Tkalec 23 October 1992, 69.
The portraits of Perseus range greatly in quality of engraving. When Mamroth (ZfN 38, 1928) divided Perseus' issues into five groups spanning the eleven years of his reign, he identified the initial issue, 179/178 B.C., as having a bust of exceptional style and relief that was accompanied by the signature of an official named Zoilus. Since the signature appears rather boldly beneath the neck of the king – a most unusual circumstance to be sure – we should consider that he was more than a mere mint official, but something closer to a chief adviser. Perhaps he held a critical advisory role with Perseus, which included control of the imperial purse; such an arrangement would hardly be unprecedented. It is possible that his name disappeared after the initial issue because it was seen as too bold a step, and that the attempt at promotion backfired by creating resentment or suspicion. We know that Zoilus had been involved with the imperial Macedonian mint during the previous administration of King Philip V, that he signed a tetradrachm for Amphaxitis, the region in Macedon that contained Thessalonica. Also, he may have issued the Rhodian-style drachms with the name Ermias that were struck soon after Perseus' defeat. In this regard he seems much more than a simple mint-master, but more of a trusted court official with a special talent for finances. After Zoilus' initial 'signed' issue, the style of engraving for Perseus' tetradrachms slowly decreases, most noticeably with the final group, which Mamroth assigns to 171-168 B.C., the period of the Third Macedonian War. The decline in art was accompanied by a drop of about ten percent in weight, which reflects the desperation of the circumstances as Macedon and Rome drew ever closer to a war that would end with a crushing Roman victory at Pydna in June, 168.
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Tetradrachm signed by Zoilos, Pella 178, AR 16.67 g. Diademed head r., slightly bearded; below, ZΩΙΛΟΥ. Rev. ΒΑΣΙ - ΛΕΩΣ / ΠΕΡ - ΣΕΩΣ Eagle standing r. on thunderbolt, with open wings; in field r., Σ monogram. The whole within wreath. de Sartiges 212 (these dies). Mamroth 1. AMNG I pl. 35, 23 (these dies). de Luynes 1712 (these dies). Boehringer, Chronologie pl. 7, 5 (these dies). Gillet 238 (these dies).
Extremely rare and undoubtedly one of the finest specimens known. A realistic and
finely executed portrait, the work of a very talented master engraver.
Light iridescent tone and good extremely fine / exremely fine
Ex Tkalec 23 October 1992, 69.
The portraits of Perseus range greatly in quality of engraving. When Mamroth (ZfN 38, 1928) divided Perseus' issues into five groups spanning the eleven years of his reign, he identified the initial issue, 179/178 B.C., as having a bust of exceptional style and relief that was accompanied by the signature of an official named Zoilus. Since the signature appears rather boldly beneath the neck of the king – a most unusual circumstance to be sure – we should consider that he was more than a mere mint official, but something closer to a chief adviser. Perhaps he held a critical advisory role with Perseus, which included control of the imperial purse; such an arrangement would hardly be unprecedented. It is possible that his name disappeared after the initial issue because it was seen as too bold a step, and that the attempt at promotion backfired by creating resentment or suspicion. We know that Zoilus had been involved with the imperial Macedonian mint during the previous administration of King Philip V, that he signed a tetradrachm for Amphaxitis, the region in Macedon that contained Thessalonica. Also, he may have issued the Rhodian-style drachms with the name Ermias that were struck soon after Perseus' defeat. In this regard he seems much more than a simple mint-master, but more of a trusted court official with a special talent for finances. After Zoilus' initial 'signed' issue, the style of engraving for Perseus' tetradrachms slowly decreases, most noticeably with the final group, which Mamroth assigns to 171-168 B.C., the period of the Third Macedonian War. The decline in art was accompanied by a drop of about ten percent in weight, which reflects the desperation of the circumstances as Macedon and Rome drew ever closer to a war that would end with a crushing Roman victory at Pydna in June, 168.
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