The Coin Cabinet
Kallista Auction 1 3 Oct 2024
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
MAGNA GRAECIA. SICILY, SYRACUSE. Dionysios I.
Gold 100 Litrai - Double Dekadrachm, circa 405-400 BC.
Obv: head of Arethusa left, hair in sphendone ornamented with two stars, wearing triple-pendant earring and necklace; ΣYPAKOΣIΩN before, pellets flanking neck. Rev: Herakles kneeling right, strangling the Nemean Lion.
Good Extremely Fine; a stunning representation.
Herakles’ first labour, imposed by the cunning king of Tiryns, Eurystheus, was to vanquish the Nemean Lion - a beast born of mythic origins, said to be the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. This creature terrorised the region of Nemea, its hide so impenetrable that no spear, arrow, or blade could harm it. Herakles, undeterred by the lion's fearsome reputation, tracked it to its lair, a cave with two entrances. After realising the futility of his weapons, Herakles blocked one entrance and entered through the other, relying solely on his god-like strength to wrestle the lion to death. The hero emerged victorious, draped in the lion's indestructible pelt, which he wore as armour - a symbol of his triumph and new identity as a demi-god.
The image of Herakles wrestling the lion has been immortalised in countless works of art. The ancient Greeks often depicted this scene in marble, such as in the famous metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, where Herakles is shown mid-struggle, his muscles tensed in a dynamic pose, capturing the raw intensity of the moment. In Renaissance art, the struggle was vividly captured by artists like Antonio del Pollaiuolo, whose painting portrays the hero in a moment of intense exertion. Later Baroque practitioners, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Francisco de Zurbarán, also portrayed the conflict with great success, emphasising the dramatic tension and physicality that have made this myth an enduring symbol of 'human' strength and perseverance.
Reference: SNG ANS-329 (same dies); SNG Lockett-985 (same dies); Jameson-814 (same obv. die); HGC 2-1275.
Die Axis: 5h.
Diameter: 15 mm.
Weight: 5.79 g.
Estimate: 28000 GBP
Gold 100 Litrai - Double Dekadrachm, circa 405-400 BC.
Obv: head of Arethusa left, hair in sphendone ornamented with two stars, wearing triple-pendant earring and necklace; ΣYPAKOΣIΩN before, pellets flanking neck. Rev: Herakles kneeling right, strangling the Nemean Lion.
Good Extremely Fine; a stunning representation.
Herakles’ first labour, imposed by the cunning king of Tiryns, Eurystheus, was to vanquish the Nemean Lion - a beast born of mythic origins, said to be the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. This creature terrorised the region of Nemea, its hide so impenetrable that no spear, arrow, or blade could harm it. Herakles, undeterred by the lion's fearsome reputation, tracked it to its lair, a cave with two entrances. After realising the futility of his weapons, Herakles blocked one entrance and entered through the other, relying solely on his god-like strength to wrestle the lion to death. The hero emerged victorious, draped in the lion's indestructible pelt, which he wore as armour - a symbol of his triumph and new identity as a demi-god.
The image of Herakles wrestling the lion has been immortalised in countless works of art. The ancient Greeks often depicted this scene in marble, such as in the famous metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, where Herakles is shown mid-struggle, his muscles tensed in a dynamic pose, capturing the raw intensity of the moment. In Renaissance art, the struggle was vividly captured by artists like Antonio del Pollaiuolo, whose painting portrays the hero in a moment of intense exertion. Later Baroque practitioners, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Francisco de Zurbarán, also portrayed the conflict with great success, emphasising the dramatic tension and physicality that have made this myth an enduring symbol of 'human' strength and perseverance.
Reference: SNG ANS-329 (same dies); SNG Lockett-985 (same dies); Jameson-814 (same obv. die); HGC 2-1275.
Die Axis: 5h.
Diameter: 15 mm.
Weight: 5.79 g.
Estimate: 28000 GBP