The Mark Staal Collection of the Three Graces

225, Lot: 238. Estimate $150. Sold for $280. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

MOESIA INFERIOR, Marcianopolis. Commodus. AD 177-192. Æ 26mm (7.70 g, 1h). Bareheaded and draped bust right / The Three Graces, arm in arm: the first with head right, holding wreath, the second with head left, and the third with head left, holding amphora. Hristova & Jekov 6.10.26.2 var. (obv. legend); Moushmov -; Varbanov -. Good VF, dark green patina, light scratches.

From the Mark Staal Collection of the Three Graces.

The Three Graces (or Charities) were goddesses of beauty, charm, and amusement, the embodiment of loveliness in all its aspects. Although their names varied from place to place, the most commonly encountered are Aglaea (“Beauty”), Euphrosyne (“Cheer”), and Thalia (“Flowering”). Over time an artistic convention of depicting the Graces developed: the three deities were shown undraped, each with one arm placed on the figure adjacent to them, the central figure standing facing the opposite direction as the others. This is the convention that one finds in numismatic depictions of the goddesses.

CNG is proud to offer the current selection from the Mark Staal Collection of the Three Graces. This subject not only served as a theme in building a collection, but also as an area of scholarly pursuit for Staal, and many of his coins in this sale have been published in his monograph The Three Graces and their Numismatic Mythology (Santa Clara. 2004 [available for purchase through CNG]). As numismatic depictions of the Three Graces appeared most often on Roman Provincial (Greek Imperial) coinage, the majority of this offering can be found below in the Provincial section. See also lots 65, 66, and 109 of the Greek section and lot 360 of the Roman Imperial section for additional coins from the Staal Collection. Further offerings will be made available in our spring Mail Bid sale and upcoming internet auctions.