Venus and the Mirror

369, Lot: 419. Estimate $100. Sold for $360. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

BITHYNIA, Nicaea. Severus Alexander. AD 222-235. Æ Assarion (21mm, 5.01 g, 7h). Laureate head right / Venus kneeling right, head left, viewing herself in mirror held by Cupid to left, also holding torch; to right, another Cupid holding torch. RG 588; cf. Pecunem 31, lot 341; Gorny & Mosch 208, lot 1801. Fine, green patina, some areas of corrosion. Very rare.

The scene of “Venus and the Mirror” served as a popular type explored by artists during the 15th-16th centuries, producing such famous works as Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus, Rubens’ Venus at the Mirror, and Titian’s Venus with a Mirror.