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Greek coins. Catana. Tetradrachm ca 415-410, AR 16.35g.

Currency:CHF Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Ancient Start Price:36,000.00 CHF Estimated At:45,000.00 CHF
Greek coins. Catana. Tetradrachm ca 415-410, AR 16.35g.
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Greek coins. Catana. Tetradrachm work of the “Maestro della Foglia”, ca. 415-410, AR 16.35g. Slow quadriga r. driven by charioteer, wearing long chiton and holding reins with both hands; above, Nike flying l. to crown him. Rev. KATANAIOS Laureate head of Apollo r., with short hair; behind, plane leaf. Giesecke, Sicilia Numismatica, pl. 4, 8 (these dies). Rizzo pl. XI, 15 and pl. XII, 10 (these dies). Rizzo, Intermezzo, p. 16, 8c (this obverse die) and p. 18, 6 (this coin). AMB 331 (this coin). Rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. Struck on a large flan and with delightful portrait of Apollo of superb style. The obverse from a slightly rusty die and with an unobtrusive corrosion, minor metal flaws on reverse, otherwise nicely toned and extremely fine. Ex NAC 13, 1998, 331; NAC 25, 2003, 66 and Stack's 14 January 2008, Lawrence R. Stack collection, 2079 sales. This beautiful tetradrachm is the work of the “Maestro della foglia”, dubbed thus for his habit of “signing” his work with a special type of leaf, instead of the usual initials or name: on the left side of the reverse of this coin we find an apion leaf next to the neatly designed head of Apollo, wearing a laurel crown in his hair. Apart from guaranteeing the authenticity (sphragis) of the master engraver, the apion leaf motif (an apion crown was also first prize for winners of the games of Nemea in Argolis), is coherent with the image of Apollo as discoverer of the healing effects of plants, a quality which the god shared with Esculapius, according to the great Pythagoras, as Pliny the Elder informs us (Naturalis Historia XXV, 13). On other coins with greater mythological coherence, the Maestro’s signature is represented by a laurel leaf. Cf. Plin., Nat. hist. XII 3: “Some species of trees are particularly protected as each of them is dedicated to one divinity such as the Mediterranean oak to Jupiter, the laurel to Apollo, the olive to Minerva, the myrtle to Venus and the poplar to Hercules”.