Nomos 18

LUCANIA. Metapontum. Circa 340-330 BC. Didrachm or nomos (Silver, 19 mm, 7.82 g), signed by the Kal... engraver. Youthful head of Dionysos, three-quarters facing to left; in field behind head, ΚΑ[Λ]. Rev. ΜΕΤΑ Ear of barley with leaf to left; on top of leaf, snake coiled to right; below to left, ΦΙΛ[ΟΞ]. HN III 1559 = Johnston A6.6 = Gulbenkian 70 = Jameson 290, and Kunstfreund 180 (all same dies). Of great rarity, one of about six examples known. With a magnificent, sensitive depiction of the youthful Dionysos. Lightly toned. Nearly extremely fine.

From a European collection formed prior to 2005.

This is one of the rarest and most desirable of all Metapontine nomoi: only two have appeared on the market over the past 20 years! The last one appeared about a year ago in NAC 106 as lot 157 (it was once in the Moretti Collection and sold for CHF 30 000). Heads of Dionysos rarely appear facing on coinage, and when they do they usually show a more elderly, bearded god; this youthful, beardless head is an astonishing tour-de-force, one of the greatest works by the famous Kal... engraver, who produced dies for a number of other cities in Magna Graecia. Perhaps the most famous example of this die pair known is the one that appeared in the Kunstfreund catalogue: that piece was once one of two examples that were in the museum in Naples (ex Santangelo) – it was deaccessioned in the 1930s.