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Greek coins, Panormus, Tetradrachm

Currency:CHF Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Ancient Start Price:20,000.00 CHF Estimated At:25,000.00 - 31,250.00 CHF
Greek coins, Panormus, Tetradrachm
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Greek coins, Panormus, Tetradrachm ca. 350-320, AR 17.06 g. Fast quadriga driven l. by charioteer, holding reins and kentron, about to be crowned by Nike flying towards him; above outer horse’s head, eight-rayed star. In exergue, sis in Punic characters. Rev. Head of Kore-Persephone l., wearing wreath of barley leaves, earring and beaded necklace; under chin, swastika. Around, four dolphins. Rizzo pl. LXVI, 1 (these dies). Jameson 691 (these dies). SNG Lloyd 1587 (these dies). AMB 374 (these dies). Jenkins Punic pl. 13, 70. Very rare and among the finest specimens known. Perfectly struck and centred on a full flan with a superb old cabinet tone, extremely fine Of all the issues of Siculo-Punic tetradrachms, those from Panormus are the most faithful to the coins of Syracuse. They were never precise copies, but in many cases even the smallest details are reproduced, leaving no doubt as to the prototype and the intent of the artist. Some early Syracuse-inspired tetradrachms of Panormus are based upon the works of Eumenes; not only are the style and composition a match for the original, but even the artist’s signature is replicated. Others are clearly copied from the works of Eucleidas, and some less-inspired works are unquestionably are based upon the decadrachms of Kimon. The sea monster (ketos) so recognisable from Syracusan tetradrachms appears in the exergue of some issues. The artistic quality in the series reached its apex with the set of dies used to strike this tetradrachm, one of the most celebrated works of Siculo-Punic coinage. This coin and its related issues are inspired by the decadrachms of Euainetos, which were familiar – even famous – in Sicily and beyond. Jenkins, in his 1971 study of the series, identifies this reverse as one of four portrait dies inspired by Euainetos’ vision of the goddess. Jenkins notes that the star before the chariot has no apparent precursor at Syracuse or elsewhere, but we can suggest that the swastika before the goddess' head is derived from the ‘cross’ that appears behind her head on one decadrachm die (Gallatin J.VIIa). This is especially plausible since one of the four Panormus reverse dies that successfully copies Euainetos’ decadrachm portrait (Jenkins 55) shows a scallop shell in front of the goddess' head, whereas it appears behind it on the Syracusan originals. Before the series at Panormus closes there occurs a transformation that favours the ‘modernistic’ style of the Artemis-Arethusa/chariot tetradrachms of the tyrant Agathocles. The affinity is unmistakable, and is principally visible in the treatment of Artemis-Arethusa. But there was a limit to the degree of reproduction, for on the issues of Panormus the chariot remains on the obverse, whereas on the Agathoclean coinage the chariot had been relegated to the reverse.