Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 132 30-31 May 2022
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Hadrian augustus, 117 – 138
Aureus late 120-121, AV 7.26 g. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. P M TR P COS III Mars standing facing holding spear and shield. C 1071. BMC 109. RIC 65 = RIC II.3, 319. Calicó 1312.
A bold portrait and an interesting reverse type. Almost invisible marks,
otherwise good extremely fine
Ex NAC 2, 1990, 636; UBS 82, 2009, 308; Triton XIV, 2001, 709 and Ira & Larry Goldberg 72, 2013, 4146 sales.
The reverse of this gold aureus features a facing statue of Mars, the Roman god of war and agriculture who was often compared to Greek Ares. It almost certainly represents a famous colossal marble statue of Mars Ultor ("the Avenger") that was discovered in the Forum of Nerva in the sixteenth century and which now resides in the Capitoline Museum. At the time of the statue's discovery it was mistakenly identified by contemporary antiquarians as a portrait of Pyrrhus of Epirus due to the use of elephants to decorate the armor. However, since the eighteenth century the statue has been recognized as Mars Ultor. It is currently dated to the early second century AD (i.e., the end of Trajan's reign or the beginning of Hadrian's) on the basis of style, although it is believed to be modeled on an image of the god from the Augustan period. Mars Ultor had been important to the propaganda program of Augustus. The statue represented on the coin wears the same Corinthian helmet with triple crest ornament, has the same bushy beard, rests its hand on the same grounded shield, carries the same drapery over his right arm, holds a spear, and stands in the same posture. All of this taken together raises the possibility that this aureus type, dated to AD 120-121 by Hadrian's titulature on the obverse, could be used to date the statue of Mars Ultor in the Capitoline Museum to the same period. Mars Ultor had been an important deity for Augustus, who erected a temple in the god's honor in 2 BC in fulfillment of a vow made before the Battle of Philippi. Since damage to this temple is known to have been repaired during the reign of Hadrian, one wonders whether the coin type and the statue should be associated with the restoration work. By expressing a care for Mars Ultor, Hadrian connected himself to the glory of the first Roman Emperor.
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Aureus late 120-121, AV 7.26 g. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. P M TR P COS III Mars standing facing holding spear and shield. C 1071. BMC 109. RIC 65 = RIC II.3, 319. Calicó 1312.
A bold portrait and an interesting reverse type. Almost invisible marks,
otherwise good extremely fine
Ex NAC 2, 1990, 636; UBS 82, 2009, 308; Triton XIV, 2001, 709 and Ira & Larry Goldberg 72, 2013, 4146 sales.
The reverse of this gold aureus features a facing statue of Mars, the Roman god of war and agriculture who was often compared to Greek Ares. It almost certainly represents a famous colossal marble statue of Mars Ultor ("the Avenger") that was discovered in the Forum of Nerva in the sixteenth century and which now resides in the Capitoline Museum. At the time of the statue's discovery it was mistakenly identified by contemporary antiquarians as a portrait of Pyrrhus of Epirus due to the use of elephants to decorate the armor. However, since the eighteenth century the statue has been recognized as Mars Ultor. It is currently dated to the early second century AD (i.e., the end of Trajan's reign or the beginning of Hadrian's) on the basis of style, although it is believed to be modeled on an image of the god from the Augustan period. Mars Ultor had been important to the propaganda program of Augustus. The statue represented on the coin wears the same Corinthian helmet with triple crest ornament, has the same bushy beard, rests its hand on the same grounded shield, carries the same drapery over his right arm, holds a spear, and stands in the same posture. All of this taken together raises the possibility that this aureus type, dated to AD 120-121 by Hadrian's titulature on the obverse, could be used to date the statue of Mars Ultor in the Capitoline Museum to the same period. Mars Ultor had been an important deity for Augustus, who erected a temple in the god's honor in 2 BC in fulfillment of a vow made before the Battle of Philippi. Since damage to this temple is known to have been repaired during the reign of Hadrian, one wonders whether the coin type and the statue should be associated with the restoration work. By expressing a care for Mars Ultor, Hadrian connected himself to the glory of the first Roman Emperor.
View a video of this lot