Freeman & Sear - F&S Mail Bid Sale #11



      ancient classic artifacts coins numismatic roman greek Show F&S Mail 
            Bid Sale #11 Lots



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                        Lot: 131

                        (click on image to enlarge)
                        KVA1867
                        ISLANDS OFF CARIA: Cos. Ca. 170 BC. AR tetradrachm 
                        (16.61 gm).

                        ISLANDS OFF CARIA: Cos. Ca. 170 BC. AR tetradrachm 
                        (16.61 gm). Head of Aphrodite right, wreathed with 
                        myrtle / Asclepius standing right, resting on serpent 
                        staff, legs crossed, magistrate's signature IKOSTRATOS 
                        in left field. Wealth of the Ancient World 111 (same 
                        obverse die). Extremely rare. Perhaps only the eighth 
                        known, and the first available publicly in many years. 
                        Some light surface roughness, otherwise very fine
                        The island of Cos was described by Pliny (NH 36.5.4) as 
                        the home of two brilliant works of art portraying 
                        Aphrodite. One was a draped statue of the goddess by 
                        Praxiteles which the Coans had acquired in preference to 
                        the celebrated nude at nearby Cnidus, and which seems to 
                        have disappeared without leaving identifiable copies. 
                        Far more influential was the painting by Apelles, 
                        Aphrodite Anadyomene, which depicted the goddess rising 
                        from the sea and wringing the water out of her hair. The 
                        sensuous head of Aphrodite on this tetradrachm cannot be 
                        securely connected with either of these masterpieces, 
                        but the drapery at her neck indicates that she was 
                        conceived as modestly clothed, perhaps like the 
                        Praxitelean statue. The figure of Asclepius on the 
                        reverse is a reminder that Cos was one of the great 
                        Hellenistic centers of the healing arts. It may 
                        duplicate his Coan cult statue, but this cannot be 
                        proved. The same pose also occurs in a series of 
                        statuettes found in the sanctuary of Asclepius at 
                        Epidaurus, which definitely do not resemble the seated 
                        cult statue there. It has been suggested that the 
                        statuettes and the Coan tetradrachm reverse may imitate 
                        a lost masterpiece of Bryaxis, perhaps located at 
                        Alexandria if not at Cos. 
                        Estimated Value: $ 15,000 




 Lot sold for $9,000, [ approx 6750 EUR, 4680 GBP ] plus 15% buyers fee. 

Re-used by permission of Freeman and Sear, www.freemanandsear.com.