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Nomos 18

5 May 2019
Zunfthaus zur Saffran, Zurich
overview
Estimate: 450 CHF
Hammer Price:  1600 CHF
Lot 14

CELTIC, Lower Danube. Uncertain tribe. Imitations of Thasos, 1st century BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 31 mm, 16.73 g). Completely deconstructed wreathed head of Dionysos to right (the snake-like item with a curlicue at the end is the remains of the god's hair, and is above his large, circular eye). Rev. Curiously formed figure of Herakles standing facing, holding a club and a lion's skin, which have been transformed into a tasseled muffler-like object; around, legend transformed into dots. Lukanc pl. 145, 1651-1652 (very similar obverses, and pl. 160, 1827 (nearly the same dies, but obverse illustrated upside-down); all three examples from the museum in Plovdiv). OTA Class V. An extraordinarily deconstructed and stylized piece. Virtually as struck.

From a Swiss collection.

The Balkan imitations of the late Hellenistic tetradrachms of Thasos were produced in enormous numbers. Some are stylistically quite good (in fact, almost as good as the originals), but for most the style is best described as amusing, while what might be termed the bottom end shows a completely non-Hellenic spirit that changes the types of Dionysos and Herakles into grotesque figures surrounded by pellets. They can best be paralleled, at least in spirit, by the way the gold staters of Philip of Macedon are deconstructed by the Celts of western Europe. The present piece is quite exceptional in the way the obverse head has been 'artistically schematized' in an almost modern, Picasso-esque way, while the reverse figure of Herakles seems to have been turned into a triumphant fisherman holding two prize salmon!.

Online bidding closes: 5 May 2019, 14:30:00 CEST Current Date & Time: 28 Mar 2024, 12:59:19 CET Remaining Time: Closed Hammer Price:1600 CHF

Pre-Bidding closes on 5 Mai 2019 at 14:30 CEST. Live bidding starts at 14:00 CET and is EXCLUSIVELY available on biddr. Separate registration is required.

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