Lot 4291
Sicily, Naxos. Silver Tetradrachm (16.81g) struck ca. 430-420 BC. Bearded head of Dionysos right wearing an ivy-wreathed stephanos, his short hair hanging loose in curly locks. Reverse: Nude and bearded Silenos squatting, facing, his right knee raised, left on the ground, looking left at a kantharos he raises with his right hand; left hand holding a thrysos upright; his tail juttting out at the left towards an ivy plant. Cahn 100 (V66/R82); SNG ANS 524; SNG Lloyd 1156; Gulbenkian 232 (same dies); Kraay-Hirmir 8-9; Jameson 677; Ward 225. Minor porosity in isolated areas. Very Rare. Nearly Extremely Fine/Very Fine.
One of the most sought after and famous of ancient Greek coins, this coin is known only from one obverse die and five reverse dies. A short-lived issue, it was likely produced for a specific purpose. During this time Naxos, the oldest of the Greek colonies in Sicily, actively supported Athens, notably with the Sicilian expedition of 427 BC. This coin thus may have been struck in connection with these events.
Showing a final transition from the earlier Aitna Master Tetradrachms which still exhibited the rigidity of design typical of the archaic, this coin shows true classical style. Dionysos' features are very natural: his hair tousled, his eye correct, the conventional archaic smile gone - replaced by relaxed lips; and his diadem less formalized. The reverse, which alludes to the source of Naxos' prosperity and power: wine production, depicts a very lifelike Silenos. Heeding far more closely the traditional description of the wisest, oldest and most drunken of Dionysos' Silenoi, half-man, half-goat followers, the engraver presents a somewhat disheveled Silenos with a round and balding head, curving, flowing beard, and some paunch.
Estimated Value $30,000 - 40,000.
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