Sale: Nomos 3 & 4, Lot: 1039. Estimate CHF800. Closing Date: Monday, 9 May 2011. Sold For CHF6500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee. |
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THESSALY, Eurymenai. Circa 352-344 BC. Trichalkon (Bronze, 20mm, 7.02 g 5). Head of young Dionysos to right, wearing ivy wreath.
Rev. ΕΥΡΥΜΕΝΑΙΩΝ (
beginning at the top left and ending at the bottom left Grape vine with leaves and six bunches of grapes; to the right of the trunk, dolphin swimming downwards; to the left, krater. Rogers 212. Traité IV, 753, pl. CCCI, 2. Extremely rare. Beautifully struck and centered and with a lovely, dark green patina. Nearly extremely fine/extremely fine.
The coinage of Eurymenai is basically very rare, especially in good condition: this piece is probably the finest example known. While Imhoof-Blumer identified the head on the obverse as that of a nymph (Nymphen und Chariten auf griechischen Münzen, JIAN XI, 1908, 373) the very well preserved example we have here makes it clear we are dealing with a young Dionysos (as Warren, NC 1961, and Head, HN², had already noted - among others). What is particularly interesting about this coin is the vessel on the reverse, usually termed a krater in most publications (Imhoof-Blumer cautiously terms it merely “a vessel”). Its shape is very unusual for a krater, since it has a high round belly on a long, thin stem, unlike almost all Classical krater-shapes. It does, however, look curiously like wine vessels that existed in Mycenaean times (!) and it would be interesting if this was a local survival that continued in use for ritual purposes.