Nomos 14

LUCANIA, Thourioi. Circa 400-350 BC. Distater (Silver, 24mm, 15.70 g). Head of Athena to right, wearing helmet adorned, on the bowl, with Skylla raising her right hand as if to shade her eyes as she looks off in the distance; behind neck, ΙΔ. Rev. ΘΟΥΡΙΩΝ Bull butting to right; in exergue, fish to right. HN III 1805. Noe F 20, SNG ANS 969. Toned and attractive. Some cleaning scratches on the obverse and pockmarks in the reverse field, otherwise, about extremely fine.

From the Stoecklin Collection, acquired from J. Dreifuss in Zürich, and from the estate of Philipp Lederer (1872-1944).

Philipp Lederer, was a relative of Jacob Hirsch, for whom he worked in Munich while studying classical archaeology and philology. His dissertation on Segesta (1910) was of particular importance; beginning in 1911 he lived and worked in Berlin, but in 1939 he had to flee to Switzerland and lived in Lugano until his death. While this coin does have its defects, its outstanding artistic quality is a testimony to Lederer’s aesthetic sense.