Magnificent Tetradrachm in the Style of Euainetos

Triton XX, Lot: 66. Estimate $10000. Sold for $15500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SICILY, Panormos (as Ziz). Circa 340-320 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25mm, 17.01 g, 1h). Charioteer, holding kentron in extended right hand, reins in left, driving fast quadriga left; above, Nike, wearing long chiton flying right, crowning charioteer with wreath she holds with both hands; in exergue, Punic ṢYṢ and dolphin leaping left / Head of Arethousa left, wearing wreath of grain ears, triple-pendant earring, and necklace; shell below chin, four dolphins swimming around. Jenkins, Punic 68 (O18/R55); HGC 2, 1022; Jameson 2421 (same dies); NAC 92, lot 143 = NAC 27, lot 139 = Schweizerischer Bankverein 25, lot 43 (same dies). Near EF, toned, a few minor spots of porosity. Fine style, and well struck from fresh dies. Extremely rare issue, one of three known from these dies.

Ex Patrick Tan Collection (Gemini VII, 9 January 2011), lot 195; Freeman & Sear FPL 10 (Spring 2005), no. 17; Schweizerischer Bankverein 25 (19 September 1990), lot 43.

There is little doubt that the engravers of the fourth century Punic tetradrachms were imitating the famous Syracusan masters Euainetos and Kimon. The engraver of the dies used for the present coin was certainly a master himself; his work is nearly identical to the style found on the dekadrachms of Euainetos, particularly the issues that have the shell behind the neck of Arethousa. While many of the Punic issues are quite stylized, the naturalistic representation presented here is clearly the work of a superior artist.