SICILY. Syracuse. Second Democracy (ca. 466-405 BC). AR tetradrachm (29mm, 17.14 gm, 11h). NGC XF 5/5 - 3/5, Fine Style. Ca. 430-420 BC. Male charioteer, wearing long chiton, kentron in right hand, reins in left, driving walking quadriga right; Nike flying right above, crowning horses / ΣYPAKOΣION, head of Arethusa right, hair in saccos decorated with decorative zigzag patterns; four dolphins swimming around. Boehringer 644. SNG ANS 209. HGC 2, 1319. An exquisitely detailed piece rendered from Fine Style dies, retaining a great deal of the intricate design on a gunmetal patina. The 'transitional' era of Greek numismatic art is perfectly exemplified by the dies of this Syracusan tetradrachm, which displays a blend of Archaic and Classical artistic conventions. The obverse image of a charioteer driving his quadriga to right retains some Archaic elements, notably the rather stiff pose of the charioteer and the slow, stately gate of the horses; the reverse head of Arethusa, on the other hand, exhibits the cool classicism of contemporary Athenian art, as seen on the famous Parthenon frieze.

HID09801242017

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