Skyphios, the First Horse

265, Lot: 102. Estimate $200. Sold for $190. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Thessalian League. Circa 361-360 BC. Æ (15mm, 2.92 g, 5h). Head of Zeus right, wearing oak wreath / Forepart of Skyphios, the father of all horses, right, emerging from rock; below, [trident head]. Rogers 2. Good Fine, black patina, obverse die shift, reverse die break, scattered pitting. Highly interesting. The rarest of the Thessalian League bronzes.

Ancient Thessaly was so intricately tied with the equestrian arts that both were believed to have been created at the same time. According to myth, the Thessalian plain was once covered by water. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident - the mountains split to form a channel, the waters receded, and the first horse Skyphios burst forth.